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FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL 



MY KING 



AND 



HIS SERVICE 



FRANCES RIDIvBY HAVERGAL 




MY KING XlJ/r wf>3 K'.^^i^ 



/ 



ROYAL COMMANDMENTS TtT^'^OJ^ yj Af 

ROYAL BOUNTY / H ^"^ ^'^'^ 

ROYAL INVITATION 

LOYAL RESPONSES 
KEPT FOR THE MASTER'S USE 



PHILADELPHIA : 

HENRY ALTEMUS 
189s 






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Copyrighted 1892, 1895, by Henry Altemus. 



\X~ %ViX^ 



HENRY ALTEMUS, MANUFACTURER, 
PHILADELFUIA. 



\ 



BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH 



OF 



FRANCES RIDLEY HAVERGAL. 



A GENTLE SPIRIT, a temperament alive to 
all innocent joys, to all the harmonies of life 
and literature, a deep and earnest faith, a loving 
self-surrender to the Saviour who was the object of 
that faith — these are the qualities which make 
Frances Ridley Havergal a character of exceptional 
interest, not only to professing Christians, but to all 
who recognize and revere the spirit of the Gospel 
teachings. For having the gift of expression — a 
simple and pellucid style through which the soul 
poured itself 9ut in either prose or verse — the qual- 
ities which endeared her to the friends who knew 
her in person won her a world-wide circle of friends 
among those who only knew her through her pub- 
lished writings. 

^ Miss Havergal was born December 14th, 1836, 
and died June 3d, 1879. She was the daughter of 
Rev. William Henry Havergal, famous as a writer 
of sacred music. The story of her life, as revealed 

(iii) 



iv JSiograpblcal Sketcb ot 

to us in the ** Memorials " edited by her sister in 
1880 seems uneventful enough in incident. Its land- 
marks are two heavy bereavements, and the changes 
in outward circumstances ensuing therefrom. One 
might think that the first of these epoch-marking 
bereavements was the death of her mother, which 
occurred in 1848. Yet Frances herself confesses 
that this event "did not make at first the impres- 
sion upon me which might have been expected." 
We must not take her too literally, however. It is 
undoubtedly from this period that we may roughly 
date the kindling of that intense religious enthusi- 
asm which burns in all her life and poetry, and 
which remained unquenched to the last. At the 
same time, the first poignant and crushing grief 
that she experienced was the sudden death of her 
father at Easter, 1870. His widow (for he had 
married a second time) continued to live at Lea- 
mington with the daughters; and the main support 
of the family devolved upon Frances, who had 
already won wide fame as a hymn-writer. In 1878 
the death of Mrs. Havergal broke up the little 
circle, and Frances, with her sister Maria, afterwards 
her biographer, removed from Leamington into 
Wales, but she outlived her beloved second mothei 
only^a little over a year. 

This life — tranquil as it seems on the surface — . 
was disturbed in its inner depths by many conflict- 
ing currents 'of religious feeling. "I am quite* 
sure," she tells us in her Autobiography, -'thai 
nothing in the way of earthly and external trials 
could have been to me what the inner dark-«itsS'^ ancr 
strife and utter weariness of spirit, th,o«i^h t'ii« 



3francc6 IRfDle^ 1ba\?eraaL v 

• 

greater part of these years, have been. Many have 
thought mine a comparatively thornless path ; but 
often when the path was smoothest, there were hid- 
den thorns within, and wounds bleeding and ranl^ • 
ling." Evidently she had, in a less morbid degree, 
that extreme sensitiveness of conscience which 
drove Cowper mad. Through a life of the utmost 
purity and even sanctity, a life devoted to good 
wQiks, to philanthropical endeavors of all sorts, she 
was disturbed by the sense of continual back-slid- 
ings. *'l remember," she tells us again, '*1 
remember longing to be able to say 'O God, my 
heart is fixed ' in bitter mourning over its weakness 
and wavering." 

It is pleasant to know that these dark shadows 
were eventually lifted. In her maturer years the 
early disquiet was succeeded by a calm trust and 
confidence, thus faithfully mirrored in the prelude 
to ''Under His Shadow." 

So now, I pray Thee, keep my hand in Thine 
And guide it as Thou wilt. I do not ask 

To understand the "wherefore " of each line ; 
Mine is the sweeter, easier, happier task 

Just to look up to Thee for every word, 

Rest in thy love and trust and know that I am heard. 

Miss Havergal's verses were collected and reissued 
in two volumes in 1884. But hitherto her prose 
writings have been strangely neglected by publishers. 

In these prose writings, even more than in her 
poems. Miss Havergal has shown us her best and 
truest self. Simple and direct as they are in method, 
they go straight from the heart to the heart. The 
author's tenderness, reverence and humility, her 



^ :6iO0rapbfcal Sftetcb* 

• 
ardent love for her Lord and for her neighbor are 
all reflected in her prose. Independently of their 
religious value, these writings have a distinct liter- 
ary interest as revealing the inner workings of a 
unique and winning personality. It is no wonder 
that in this country alone they have sold to the ex- 
tent of some half a million copies. 

It may be added that the little volume of Poems 
entitled ''Loyal Responses" has been included among 
the prose works because it was expressly prepared 
as part of the ''royal" series of which "My 
King" was the initial volume. As the earlier 
books called attention to the utterances from the 
Throne, so the later one embodies the responses of 
its loyal subjects, and forms an integral portion of 
t"he scheme. 

Kept for the Master's Use — the last and crowning 
work of Miss Havergal's devout mind — is added to 
this volume, completing one of the most remark- 
able collections of religious thought in existence. 
Her sister, in speaking of this work, says : 

" My beloved sister Frances finished revising the 
proofs of this book shortly before her death on Whit 
Tuesday, June 3, 1879, ^^^^ ^^^ publication was to 
be deferred till the Autumn. 

"In appreciation of the deep and general sympathy 
flowing in to her relatives, they wish that its publi- 
cation should not be withheld. Knowing her in- 
tense desire that Christ should be magnified, 
whether by her life or in her death, may it be to 
His glory that in these pages she, being dead, 

* Yet speaketh ! * " 



PART I. 



MY KING 



OR 



DAIIvY TMOUQHTS 



FOB. 



^be lkinG'0 Cbil&ren 



FIRST DAY. 



tlbe Source of tbe Ikingsbip. 

* Because the Lord hath loved His people, He hath made 
thee king over them.' — 2 Chron. ii. II, ix. 8. 

CHRIST said to His Father, * Thou lovedst me 
before the foundation of the world. '^ At that 
mysterious date, not of time, but of everlasting 
love, God ^ chose us in Him.'^ Before the world 
began, God, that cannot lie,' gave the promise of 
eternal life to Him for us, and made with Him 
for us 'a covenant ordered in all things, and sure.'* 
The leading provisions of that covenant were, a 
Lamb for our atonement, and a King for our 
government — a dying and a living Saviour. This 
God the Father did for us, and His own divine 
interest is strongly indicated in the typical words, 
* God will provide Himself 2. Lamb,'^and'I have 
provided me a King.'® So the Source of the 
Kingship of Christ is God Himself, in the eternal 
counsels of His love. It is one of the grand 
'thoughts of God." 

1 John xvii. 24. 2 Eph. i. 4. 3 Titus i. 2. 

4 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. 6 Gen. xxii. 8. * i Sam. xvi. i. 

' Ps. cxxxix. 17, 



6 ^^ tiim* 

Having provided, He appointed and anointed 
His King: * Yet have I set (margin, anointed) my 
King upon my holy hill of Zion.'^ What a marvel- 
lous meeting-place is thus found in the Kingship of 
Jesus for God's heart and ours ! He says in His 
majestic sovereignty, * I have set my King ; ' and 
we say in lowly and loving loyalty, * Thou art my 
King.' 2 

God has appointed His King * to be ruler over 
Israel an^ over Judah.' Thus He gives His 
children a great bond of union. For 'one King 
shall be King to them all,' ^ and He shall 'gather 
together in one the children of God which were 
scattered abroad.'* 'Satan scatters, but Jesus 
gathers.' Shall we then let the enemy have his 
way, and induce us to keep apart and aloof from 
those over whom our beloved King reigns also? 
Let us try this day to recollect this, and make it 
practical in all our contact with His other subjects. 

JV/ty has God made Jesus King ? Who would 
have guessed the right answer ? ^Because the Lord 
loved His people.' So the very thought of the 
Kingship of Christ sprang from the everlasting 
love of God to His people.^ Bring that wonderful 
statement down to personal reality, — ' His people/ 
that is, you and me. God made Jesus King over 
you, because He loved you, and that with nothing 
less than the love wherewith He loved Him.* 
Which is the more wonderful — the love that devised 
such a gift, or the gift that was devised by such 
love ! Oh, to realize the glorious value of it I 

1 Ps. ii. 6. 2 Ps. xliv. 4. 3 Ezek. xxxvii. 22. 

^ John xi. 52. 6 Jer. xxxi. 3. * John xvii. 26. 



Zbc promise ot tbc Iking. 7 

May we, who by His grace know something of 
God's gift of His Son as our Saviour, learn day by 
day more of the magnificent preciousness of His 
gift of His Anointed One as our King ! 



SECOND DAY. 



^be promlee of tbe Iking* 

* I will be thy King.' — Hos. xiii. lo. 

HE knows our need of a king. He knows the 
hopeless anarchy, not only of a world, but of 
A heart, 'without a king.'^ Is there a more deso- 
late cry than * We have no king ' ? ^ — none to 
reverence and love, none to obey, none to guide 
and protect us and rule over us, none to keep us in 
that truest freedom of whole-hearted loyalty. Have 
we not felt that we really want a strong hand over 
our hearts? that having our own way is not so 
good as another's way, if only that other is one to 
whom our hearty and entire confidence and allegi- 
ance can be and are given ? Has there not been an 
echo in our souls of the old cry, 'Give me a king' ? — 
a cry that nothing can still but this Divine promise, 
'/will be thy king ! '^ 

But the promise has been given ; and now, if the 

1 Hos, iii. 4. 2 Hos. x. 3. 3 Hos. xiii. 10. 



8 /Iibi2 Ikfng, 

old desolate wail of a kingless heart comes up in an 
hour of faithless forgetfulness, His word comes like' 
a royal clarion, ' Now, why dost thou cry out aloud? 
Is there no king in thee?'^ And then the King's 
gracious assurance falls with hushing power, ' I will 
be thy King.' 

How glad we are that He Himself is our King! 
For we are so sure that He is able even to subdue 
all things unto Himself ^ in this inner kingdom, 
which we cannot govern at all. We are so glad to 
take Him at His word, and give up the government 
into His hands, asking Him to be our King in very 
deed, and to set up His throne of peace in the long 
disturbed and divided citadel,^ praying that He 
would bring every thought into captivity to His 
gentle obedience. * 

We have had enough of revolutions and revolts, 
of tyrants and traitors, of lawlessness and of self- 
framed codes. Other lords (and oh, how many !) 
have had dominion over us. ^ He has permitted us 
to be their servants, that now, by blessed and restful 
contrast, we may know His service. ® Now we only 
want 'another King, one Jesus. ' ^ He has made 
us willing in the day of His power, ® and that was 
the first act of His reign, and the token that *of 
the increase of His government and peace there 
shall be no end '* in our hearts. 

Lord, be Thou my King this day ! Reign more 
absolutely in me than ever before. Let the increase 

1 Mic. iv. 9. 2 Phil.iii. 21, 3 Rom. vii. 19. 

■* 2 Cor. X. 5. 5 Isa. xxvi. 13. ^ 2 Chron. xii. 8 

7 Acts xvii. 7. 8 Ps. ex. 3. * Isa. ix. 7. 



Bllecfance to tbe Iking. 9 

of Thy government be continual and mighty in me, 
so that Thy name may be glorified in me now and 
forever.^ 

Reign over me, Lord Jesus ! 

Oh, make my heart Thy throne ! 
It shall be thine forever, 

It shall be Thine alone ! 



THIRD DAY. 



Hllegiance to tbe MrxQ. 

* Thou art my King.' — Ps. xliv. 4. 

FIRST, can I say it ? 
Is Jesus in very deed and truth * my King ' ? 
Where is the proof of it ? Am I living in His king- 
dom of * righteousness and peace and joy in the 
Holy Ghost ' now?* Am I speaking the language 
of that kingdom ? Am I following * the customs 
of the people ' ^ which are not His people ? or do I 
'diligently learn the ways of His people ' ?* Am I 
practically living under the rule of His laws? Have 
I done heart homage to Him ? Am I bravely and 
honestly upholding His cause, because it is His, not 
merely because those around me do so ? Is my 
allegiance making any practical difference to my 
life to-day ? 

Next, ougk^ I to say it ? 

1 2 Thees, i. 12, 2 Rom. xiv. 17. 3 Jer. x. •?. * Jer. xii. 16. 



lo iiB^ Mm* 

What ! any question about that ? The King, 
who came Himself to purchase me from my tyrant 
and His foe ; ^ the King, who laid aside His crown 
and His royal robes, and left His kingly palace, and 
came down Himself to save a rebel ; ^ the King, 
who, though He was rich, yet for my sake became 
poor, that I * through His poverty might be rich,' ^ — 
^mgkt I to acknowledge Him ? is it a question of 
* oiigk^ I ? ' God has ' called me unto His Kingdom 
and glory ; ' * He ' hath translated me into the king- 
dom of the Son of His love ; ' ^ and shall the loyal 
words falter or fail from my lips, *Thou art my 
King ' ? 

Lastly, do I say it ? 

God has said to me, ' He ts thy Lord, and wor- 
ship thou Him. ' ^ Do my lips say, ' My Lord and 
My God ' ? ^ Does my life say, ' Christ Jesus, my 
Lord, ' ^ — definitely and personally, ' 7?iy Lord ' ? 
Can I share m His last sweet commendation to His 
disciples, the more precious because of its divine 
dignity, * Ye call me Master and Lord, and ye say 
well, for so I am ' ? ^ Have I said, * Thou art my 
King ' ^° to Jesus Himself, from the depth of my own 
heart, in unreserved and unfeigned submission to 
His sceptre? Am I ashamed or afraid to confess 
my allegiance in plain English among His friends 
or before His foes ? " Is the seal upon my brow so 
unmistakable that always and everywhere I am 
known to be His subject? Is ^ Thou art my King ' ^^ 

1 Acts XX. 28. " Phil. ii. 7. ^ a Cor. viii. 9. 

4 I Thess. ii. 12. 5 Q,o\, 1. 13. 6 Ps. xlv. 11. 

7 John XX. 28. 8 Phil. iii. S. 9 John xiii. 13. 

10 Ps. Ixxxi. 15, margin, n Matt. x. 32, 12 Acts iv. 13. 



Decision tor tbc Mwq. " 

blazoned, as it ought to be, in shining letters on the 
whole scroll of my life, so that it may be ' known 
and read of all men ' ? ^ 

Answer Thou for me, O my King ! * Search me 
and try me,' ^ and show me the true state of my case, 
and then for Thine own sake pardon all my past dis- 
loyalty, and make me by Thy mighty grace from this 
moment totally loyal ! For * Thou ar^ my King.' ^ 



FOURTH DAY. 



2)eci6ion for tbe Iking* 

* Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you. 
Now, then, do it.' — 2 Sam. iii. 17, 18. 

*TN time past, when Saul was king over us, thou 
A wast he that leddest out and broughtest in 
Israel.'* Chosen, anointed, given by God, con- 
tinually leading and caring for us, yet not accepted, 
not crowned, not enthroned by us ; ^ our real allegi- 
ance, our actual service, given to another ! ® Self has 
been our Saul, our central tyranny ; and many have 
been its officers domineering in every department.'' 
' Ye sought for David in times past to be king 
over you.' Well we might, for the bondage of any 
other lord was daily, harder.^ Well we might, 

1 2 Cor. iii. 2. 2 Ps. xxxviii. 15, P. B. V. ; ib. cxxxix. 23. 

3 Ps. XXV. II, 4 Sam. v. 2. & Ps. Ixxxix. 19, 20 ; Isa. Iv. 4. 

6 Rom. vi. 16. ? Rom. vii. 23. 8 isa, xiv. 3. 



12 



£b>3 TRlng. 



with even a dim glimpse of the grace and glory of 
the King who waited for our homage. We sought, 
first, only for something — we hardly knew what — 
restlessly and vaguely; then for some One, who 
was not merely 'the Desire of all nations,' but our 
own desire.^ And yet we did not come to the 
point : we were not ready for His absolute monarchy, 
for we were loving and doing the will of our old 
tyrant.^ 

But * the time past of our life may suffice us to 
have wrought the will ' of self — Satan — the world.^ 
We do not want ' to live the rest of our time ' to 
any but One Will.* We come face to face with a 
great NOW ! ' Now, then, do it ! '^ ' Now, then,' 
let us, with full purpose of heart, dethrone the 
usurper and give the diadem to Him ' whose right 
it is,' a blood-bought and death-sealed right. ^ 

He does not force allegiance, — He waits for it. 
The crown of our own individual love and loyalty 
must be offered by our own hands. ^ We must ' do 
it.' When ? Oh, now ! JVow let us come to Jesus 
as our King. JVow let us, first in solemn heart- 
surrender, and then in open and unmistakable life- 
confession, yield ourselves to Him as our Sovereign, 
our Ruler. 

What a glorious life of victory and peace opens 
before us when this is done ! What a silencing of 
our fears lest the time to come should nevertheless 
be as the time past ! * Now, then, do it : for the 
Lord hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of 

1 Hag. ii. 7. 2 I Kings xviii. 21 ^ 1 Pet. iv. 3. 

4 I Pet. iv. 2. 62 Sam. iii. 18- 6 Ezek, xxi. 26, 37. 

7 2 Sam. V. 3. 



XLbc 3fir0t to /IRcet tbe Iking* 13 

my servant David I will save my people Israel 
out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the 
hand of all their enemies.'^ 

Now, do not let us ' take away from the words '^ 
of this promise, and merely hope that our King 
may save us from som£ of our enemies. The Lord 
hath said, 'wi7/ save from «//.' Let us trust our 
true David this day to fulfil the word of the Lord, 
aiid verily we shall not fail to find that according to 
our faith it shall be unto us.^ 



FIFTH DAY. 



^be fivBt to fIDeet tbe Iking* 

* For thy servant doth know that I have sinned ; therefore, 
behold, I am come the first this day of all the house of Joseph 
to meet my lord the king.' — 2 Sam. xix. 20. 

YES,. I have sinned. I know that I have sinned,. 
Whether I feel it more or less does not touch 
the fact : I know it. And what then ? ' Therefore, 
behold, I am come the first this day of all . . . 
to meet my Lord the King.' 

Just because I know that I have sinned, I come to 
Jesus. He came to call sinners,^ He came to save 
sinners,^ so He came to call and to save me. ' This 
is all my desire." 

1 2 Sam. iii. 18. 2 Rev. xxii. 19. ^ Matt. ix. 29. 

•* Matt. ix. 13. 5 I Tim. i. 15. 6 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. 

2 



14 /IR13 Iking* 

Just because I know that / have sinned, I may 
and must come 'the first of all.' Thousands are 
coming, but the heart knoweth his own bitterness.^ 
So, not waiting for others, not coming in order, but 
'first of all,' by the pressure of my sore need of 
pardon, I come. There is no waiting for one's turn 
in coming to Jesus. 

'The first of all,' because it is against '?/zylord 
the King ' that I have sinned. I am His servant, so 
I have the greater sin.^ ' The first of all, because 
I have so much to be forgiven, and have already 
been forgiven so much, that I must, I do, love 
much j^ and love, even of a sorrowing sinner, seeks 
nearness, and cannot rest in distance.* 

'Therefore,' also, 'I am come this day.^ I dare 
not and could not wait till to-morrow. No need to 
wait, even till to-night ! Now ! He is passing by,'^ 
and I must ' haste to meet ' Him.® ' While he is 
near,' '^ I will tell Him all. 

I am come to meet Him, not merely to go to 
Him f for He is always coming to meet us. He 
was on His way before I had said, ' I will arise and 
go.'^ I come, because He comes to me. 

Yet I could not come with this terrible knowl- 
edge that I have sinned, but that I know something 
more. I know that He hath said, ' Come unto mef^** 
I know that He hath said, ' Him that cometh I will 
in no wise cast out. ' " This is enough ; therefore I 
am come to my Lord the King. 

Not to His servants, but to Himself. Even those 

1 Prov. xiv. lo. 2 Ps. cxvi. i6. 3 Luke vii, 47. 

■* Col. ii. 13. 6 Matt. XX. 30. ^ 2 Sam. xix. 16. 

7 Isa. Iv. 6. 8 Zech. ix. 9. 9 Luke xv. 18. 

10 Matt. xi. 28. 11 John vi. 37. 



Condescension ot tbe lining. 15 

who stand near Him may accuse and condemn, but 
the King Himself will receive me graciously ; ^ for 
with Him there is forgiveness, and mercy, and 
plenteous redemption.^ 

And though the oath of an earthly sovereign may 
be broken, my King (in glorious contrast to the 
imperfect human type) ^keepeth His promise 
for ever." His covenant will He not break, nor 
aUer the thing that is gone out of His lips.* There- 
fore the eternal life which He hath promised me is 
secured to me forever, for He hath said," * I give 
unto them eternal life, and they shall never perish, 
neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.'^ 



SIXTH DAY. 



Zbe Conbescension of tbe Iking. 

* Behold, thy King cometh unto thee.' — ZecS:. ix. 9. 

THAT our King should let us come to Him is 
condescension indeed. But have we praised 
Him for His still more wonderful condescension : 
* Thy King cometh unto thee'V ^ Unto thee,'' rebel, 
traitor, faithless subject, coward and cold-hearted 
follower ; for where is the life that has not fallen 

1 Hos. xiv. 2. 2 Ps. cxxx. 4, 7. 3 Ps. cxlvi. 5. (p. b. v.) 

4 Ps, Ixxxix. 34. 6 I John ii. 25. 6 John x, 28. 

7 Isa. xlviii. 8. 



i6 fS^yQ Iking. 

under these charges, when seen in the double light 
of the King's perfect law and the King's great 
love ? Yes, he cometh unto f/ie^, and it is enough 
to break our hearts when we get one contrasted 
glimpse of this undeserved grace and unparalleled 
condescension. 

His great promise has had its first fulfilment 
^unto thee.' It is a finished fact of sevenfold 
grace. Thy King has come, and His own voice 
has given the objects of His coming, — * to do Thy 
will, O God ;^ * to fulfil ' the law ; ^ ' to call sinners 
to repentance ;'^ ' to seek and to save that which 
was lost ;'* * that they might have life, and that 
they might have it more abundantly ;'^ ' a light 
into the world, that whosoever believeth on me 
should not abide in darkness. ' ^ What He came to 
do He has done, for 'He faileth not.'^ On this 
we may and ought to rest quietly and undoubt- 
ingly, for ' the Lord hath ^^one it.' ^ 

But you want a further fulfilment, — you want a 
present coming of your King. You have His most 
sweet word, 'I will come to you;'^ and you 
respond, 'Oh, wh^^n wilt Thou come unto me? ' ^® 
Are you ready to receive the King's own answer 
now? Do you so desire His coming, that you 
do not want it postponed at all ? Can you 
defer all other comers, and say in reality, ' Let my 
Beloved come ' ?^^ 

He has but one answer to that appeal. Hush ! 

1 Heb. X. 9. 2 Matt. v. 17. s Matt. ix. 13. 

* Luke xix. 10. 5 John x. 10. ^ John xii. 46. 

7 Zeph. iii. 5. 8 Jsa. xliv. 2-^. 9 John xiv. 18. 

10 Ps. ci. 2. 11 Cant. iv. 16. 



Condescension ot tbe tiing, 17 

listen ! believe ! for the King speaks to you : ' I 
am come into my garden, my sister, my spouse.' ^ 
He is come. Do not miss the unspeakable blessing 
and joy of meeting Him and resting in His presence, 
by hurrying away to anything else, by listening to 
any outward call.^ Stay now, lay the little book 
aside, kneel down at your King's feet, doubt not 
His word, which is *more sure' than even the 
'excellent glory '^ that apostles beheld, and thank 
Him for coming to you. Commune with Him now 
of all that is in your heart,^ and ' rejoice greatly/ 
for, * behold, thy King cometh unto thee. ' 

' Jesus comes to hearts rejoicing, 
Bringing news of sin forgiven ; 
Jesus comes in sounds of gladness, 
Leading souls redeemed to heaven. 

* Jesus comes again in mercy, 

When our hearts are bowed with care ; 
Jesus comes again, in answer 
To an earnest, heartfelt prayer.' 

Godfrey Thring. 



1 Cant. V. I. 2 Cant. ii. 3. 

8 * Pet. i. 19. * 1 Kings x. 2. 



i8 jUb^ fJing. 



SEVENTH DAY. 



tibe lln&voellinQ of tbe Iking* 

* Is not her King in her? ' — ^Jer. viii. 19. 

WAITING for a royal coming, — What expec- 
tation, what preparation, what tension ! A 
glimpse for many, a full view for some, a word for 
a favoured few, and the pageant is over like a dream. 
The Sovereign may come, but does not stay. 

Our King comes not thus : He comes not to pass, 
but to ' dwell r^ the midst of thee; '^ not only in 
His Church collectively, but in each believer in- 
dividually.^ We pray, 'Abide with us,'^ and He 
answers in the sublime plural of Godhead, ' We 
will come unto him, and make our abode with 
him.'* Even this grand abiding with us does not 
extend to the full marvels of His condescension and 
His nearness, for the next time He speaks of it He 
changes the 'with' to 'in,' and thenceforth only 
speaks of ' I in you,' ' I in him,' ' I in them.'^ 

Now do not let us say, ' How can this be ?'^ butj 
like Mary, 'How shall this be?'^ The means, 

1 Zech. ii. lo. 2 2 Cor. vi. 16. 3 Luke xxiv. 29, 

4 John xiv. 23. 5 John xv. 4, 5; ib. xvii. 23. 

s John iii, 9. 7 Luke i. 34. 



•ffn&welUng ot tbe Mns. 19 

though not the mode, of the mystery is revealed 
for our grasp of adoring wonder : ' That Christ may 
dwell in your heart by faith. '^ It is almost too 
wonderful to dare to speak of. Christ Himself, my 
King, coming to me, into me ! abiding, dwelling in 
my very heart ! Really staying there all day, all 
night, wherever I am, whatever I am doing ; here in 
my poor unworthy heart at this very moment ! 
A^d this only because the grace that flowed from 
His own love has broken the bars of doubt, and 
because He has given the faith that wanted Him 
and welcomed Him. Let us pause a little to take 
it in ! 

The more we have known of the plague of our 
own heart, ^ the more inconceivably wonderful this 
indwelling of Christ will appear, — much more 
wonderful than that He chose a manger as His 
royal resting-place,^ for that had never been defiled 
by sin, and had never harboured His enemy. It is 
no use trying to comprehend this incomprehensible 
grace of our King, — we have only to believe His 
promise, saying, 'Amen ; the Lord God of my Lord 
the King says so too.'^ 

There should be three practical results of this 
belief: — i. Holiness. We must see to it that we 
resolutely ' put away '^ all that ought not to be in 
His royal abode.® ' Having, therefore, these prom- 
ises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from 
all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting 
holiness in the fear of God." 2. Confidence. 

1 Eph. iii. 17. 2 I Kings viii. 38. 3 Luke ii. 7. 

4 I Kings i. 36. 5 Eph. iv. 31. 6 i Cor. iii. 16, 17. 

'2 Cor. vii. I. 



20 - uxs^ IRing. 

What does the citadel fear when an invincible gen- 
eral is within it ? * The Lord thy God in the midst 
of thee is mighty ; He will save.'^ He is ' the wall 
of fire round about,' and * the glory in the midst of 
her;'^ and 'he that toucheth you toucheth the 
apple of His eye.'^ 3. /oy. Yes ! ' Be glad and 
rejoice with all the heart, '^ 'sing and rejoice, O 
daughter of Zion ; for, lo, I come, and I will dwell 
in the midst of thee, saith the Lord.'^ 



EIGHTH DAY. 



ffull Satl6faction In tbe Iking^ 

' Yea, let him take all, for as much as my lord the king is 
come again in peace to his own house.' — 2 Sam. xix. 30. 

IT is when the King has really come in peace to 
His own home in the * contrite and humble 
spirit '® (not before), — when He has entered in to 
make His abode there^ (not before), — that the soul 
is satisfied with Him^ alone, and is ready to let any 
Ziba take all else, because all else really seems 
nothing at all in comparison to the conscious posses- 
sion of the Treasure of treasures.® 

Sometimes this is reached at once, in the first flush 
of wondering joy at finding the King really 'come 
in peace "** to the empty soul which wanted to be 

1 Zeph. iii. 17. 2 Zech. ii. 5. 3 Zech. ii. 8. 

4 Zeph. iii. 14. 5 Zech. ii. 10. ^ Isa. Ivii. 15. 

^ John xiv. 23. 8 Ps. xxii. 26. ^ Matt. xiii. 46. 
^•^ Isa. xxxiii. 6. 



Satl6factfon in the Iking ♦ 21 

' His own house. '^ Sometimes very gradually, — as 
year after year we realize His indwelling more and 
more, and find again and again that He is quite 
enough to satisfy us in all circumstances ; that the 
empty corners of the ' house ' are filled one after 
another ; that the old longings have somehow gone 
away, and the old ambitions vanished ; that the old 
tastes and interests in the things of the world are 
superseded by stronger tastes and interests in the 
things of Christ; that He is day by day more 
really filling our lives,^ — we ' count ' (because we 
really find) one thing after another *but loss for the 
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my 
Lord,'^ till He leads us on to the rapturous joy of 
the *Yea, doubtless,' and ^«// things! ' 

Now, have we got as far as saying ' some things, ' 
without being quite sure about ' all things ' ? • Do 
you see that it all hinges upon Jesus coming into 
the heart as 'His own house,' — altogether 'His 
own ' ?^ For if there are some rooms of which we 
do not give up the key, — some little sitting-room 
which we would like td keep as a little mental 
retreat, with a view from the window, which we do 
not quite want to give up, — some lodger whom we 
would rather not send away just yet, — some little 
dark closet which we have not resolution to open 
and set to rights, — of course the King has not full 
possession ; it is not all and really ' His own j ' and 

1 Heb. iii. 6. 2 Eph. i. 23. 

' Phil. iii. 8. ^ Acts xxvi. 29. 



22 ^12 Iking. 

the very misgiving about it proves that He has 
therefore not yet 'come again in peace.' It is no 
use expecting 'perfect peace, '^ while He has a secret 
controversy^ with us about any withholding of 
what is 'His own '^ by purchase. Only throw open 
«// the doors/ *and the King of Glory shall come 
in,'^ and then there will be no craving for other 
guests. He will ' fill this house with glory,'* and 
there will be no place left for gloom. 

Is it not so? Bear witness, tell it out, you with 
whom the King dwells in peace ? Life is filled with 
bright interests, time is filled with happy work or 
peaceful waiting, the mind is filled with His beauti- 
ful words and thoughts, the heart is filled with His 
presence, and you 'abide satisfied*^ with Him! 
Yes, ' tell it out ! ' 

The human heart asks love ; but now I know 
That my heart hath from Thee 

All real, and full, and marvellous affection, 

So near, so human ! yet Divine perfection 

Thrills gloriously the mighty glovsr ! 
Thy love is enough for me ! 

There were strange soul-depths, restless, vast and broad, 

Unfathomed as the sea; 
An infinite craving for some infinite stilling; 
Eut now Thy perfect love is perfect filling ! 
Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God, 

Thou, Thou art enough for me. 

1 Isa. xxvi. 3. 2 Mic. vi. 2. 3 Acts v. 2. 

4 Rev. lii 20. 5 Ps. xxiv. 9. ^ Hag. ii. 7. 

7 Prov. xix. 23. 



Ube Sorrow of tbe Iking* 23 



NINTH DAY. 



^ ^be Sorrow of tbe Mwq. 

*The king himself also passed over the brook Kidron. '^— 
2 Sam. XV. 23. 

*TESUS went forth with His disciples over the 
J brook Cedron. '^ How precisely the Old Testa- 
ment shadow corresponds with the New Testament 
fulfilment ! The King, in sorrow and humiliation, is 
here brought before us, passing from his royal home, 
from all his glory and gladness, — passing over into 
exile and unknown distresses.^ 

There is no need for imagination in dwelling on 
His sorrows. The pathos of the plain words 
is more than enough ; no pen has power to 
add to it. Let us listen to them just as they stand, 
— not hurrying over them because they are only 
texts, and we know them all beforehand ; they are 
the Holy Ghost's sevenfold testimony to the sorrow 
of the King. 

' A man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,'* 
' I am poor and sorrowful.'^ ' The sorrows of death 

1 Kidron means ' obscurity '; Cedron is * black ' or ' sad.' 

2 John xviii. i. 83 Sam. xviii. 20. 
4 Isa. liii. 3. 5 Ps. Ixix. 29. 



"24 /IB12 l^ina. 

compassed me.' * The sorrows of hell compassed 
me.'^ ' Behold and see if there be any sorrow like 
unto my sorrow.'^ * He began to be sorrowful and 
very heavy. '^ 'My soul is exceeding sorrowful, 
even unto death.'* Oh, stay a little that you may 
take it in ! hear Jesus saying to you, * Hear, I pray 
you, and behold my sorrow? '^ 

' Surely He hath borne our griefs, and carried our 
sorrows.'^ The sorrows of the past, the very sorrow 
that may be pressing heavily at this moment; all 
yours, all mine; all the sorrows of all His children 
all through the groaning generations ; all that were 

* too heavy ''' for them, — Jesus bore them all. * Is 
it nothing to you?'^ It is when the Lord says, 

* Now will I gather them ' ( the rebels and wander- 
ers), that He adds, * And they shall sorrow a little for 
the burden of the King of princes.'^ Have we this 
proof that He has indeed gathered us? For 'a// the 
people,' except the rebels, 'passed over with the 
king.'^" Do we know anything of this passage over 
Cedron, the brook of sadness, with Him? Possibly 
it seems presumptuous to think of sharing 'the 
fellowship of His sufferings, '^^ that mysterious privi- 
lege ! But mark, it was not only the mighty Ittai 
and 'all his men,' the nobles and the veterans, that 
passed over, but ' all the little ones that were with 
him '^Hoo. And so 'the little ones, the weak 
ones,'^^ the least member of His body, may thus 

1 Ps. xviii. 4, 5. 2 Lam. i. 12. 3 Matt. xxvi. 37. 

4 Matt. xxvi. 38. 5 Lam. i. iS. ^ Isa. liii. 4. 

7 Ps. xxxviii. 4. 8 Lam. i, 12. 9 Hos. viii. 10. . 

^f' 2 Sam. XV. 23. 11 Phil. iii. lo. ^- 2 Sam. xv. 22, 



13 



I Cor. xii. 26, 27, 



OoiwQ 3fortb witb tbe Iking. -^u 

'continue with '^ Jesus; and nothing brings one 
closer to another than a shared sorrow. 

But look forward ! Because He has drunk * of 
the brook in the way, therefore shall He lift up the 
head."^ Already the * exceeding sorrowful '^ is ex- 
changed for 'Thou hast made Him (the King) 
exceeding glad;'* and when the ransomed and 
gathered of the Lord shall return with everlasting 
joy/ 'their King also shall pass before them.'^ 



TENTH DAY. 



Going ifortb witb tbe Iking* 

* The king said, Wherefore wentest thou not with me ? ' — 
2 Sam. xix. 25. 

'T7C7ITH me! '^ To be with our King will be 
V V our highest bliss for eternity ; and surely 
it is the position of highest honour and gladness 
now. But if we would always de with Him, we 
must sometimes be ready to go with Him.® 

' The Son of God goes forth to war ' now-a-days. 
Do we go with Him? His cross is 'without the 
gate.' Do we go 'forth unto Him without the 
camp, bearing His reproach'?® Do we really go 
with Him every day and all day long, following 
' the Lamb whithersoever He goeth ' ? ^^ What 

1 Luke xxii. 28. 2 Ps. ex. 7. 3 Matt. xxvi. 38. 

4 Ps. xxi. 6. 6 Isa. XXXV. 10. 6 Mic. ii. 13. 

7 John xvii. 24. 8 i Thess. iv. 17. 9 Heb. xiii. 12, 13. 



26 ^^ Ikfng, 

about this week — this day ? Have we loyally gone 
with our King wherever His banner, His footsteps, 
go before ? ^ 

If the voice of our King is heard in our hearts, 
' Wherefore wentest thou not with me ? ' — thou who 
hast eaten ' continually at the King's table,' ^ — thou 
who hast had a place among '■ the King's sons,' ^ — 
thou unto whom the King has shown * the kindness 
of God,'* we have no * because ' to offer. He 
would have healed the spiritual lameness that 
hindered,^ and we might have run after Him. 
We are without excuse. 

It is only now that we can go with Jesus into con- 
flict, suffering, loneliness, weariness. It is only 
now that we can come to the help of the Lord 
against the mighty* in this great battlefield. Shall 
we shrink from opportunities which are not given 
to the angels? Surely, even with Him in glory, 
the disciples must ' remember the words of the Lord 
Jesus, how he said ' ^ to them, * Ye are they which 
have continued with me in my temptations,' ® with 
a thrill of rapturous thanksgiving that such a privi- 
lege was theirs. 

There will be no more suffering with Him in 
heaven, only reigning with Him ;' no more fighting 
under His banner, only sitting with Him on His 
throne.^" But to-day we may prove our loving and 
grateful allegiance to our King in the presence of 
His enemies, by rising up and going forth with 

1 I Pet. ii. 21. 2 2 Sam. ix. 13. 3 2 Sam. ix. 11. 

< 2 Sam. ix. 3. ^ 2 Sam. xix. 26. 6 Judges v. 23. 

7 Acts XX. 35. 8 Luke xxii, 28. ^ 2 Tim. ii. 12. 
10 Rev. iii. 21. 



^be Smiting ot tbe Hdng. 27 

Him, — forth from a life of easy idleness or selfish 
business, — forth m/o whatever form of blessed fellow- 
ship in His work, His wars, or, it may be, of His 
sufferings, the King Himself may choose for us.^ 
We have heard His call, ' Come u^fo me.' To-day 
He says, * Come wi'^/i me.' ^ 

True-hearted, whole-hearted ! Faithful and loyal, 

King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be ! 
Under Thy standard exalted and royal, 
• Strong in Thy strength we will battle for Thee. 



ELEVENTH DAY. 



^be Smiting of tbe Iking. 

* I will smite the king only.' — 2 Sam. xvii. 2. 

IT may be that this futile threat of a wicked man 
against the king was like the saying of Caia- 
phas, — 'not of himself,' ^ but written for our learn- 
ing 'more about Jesus.'* A deadly stroke was to 
be aimed at * the king only,' for he was * worth ten 
thousand ' of the people ; ^ if he were smitten, they 
should escape. Do the words of David in another 
place tell of his great Antitype's desire that it 
should be so? ' Let Thine hand, I pray Thee, O 
Lord my God, be on me, . . . but not on Thy 
people. ' ® ' For the transgression of my people was 

1 2 Cor. vi. I ; Phil. iii. lo. 2 Cant. iv. 8. 3 John xi. 51. 

•4 Rom. XV. 4. 5 Cf. I Kings xxii. 31 ; 2 Sam. xviii. 3. 

6 I Chron. xxi. 17. 



28 /Ks^ iking* 

the stroke upon Him ' "^ {inargin) ; therefore not 
upon us, never upon us. The lightning that strikes 
the conductor instead of the building to which it is 
joined, has spent its fiery force and strikes no more. 

Not the hand of an impotent foe, but the sharp 
sword of the omnipotent Lord of hosts, was lifted 
to smite His Shepherd, — our Shepherd-king,'^ The 
Great,^ The Chief,* The Good^ (and The Beautiful, 
as the original implies). Think of the words, 
* stricken, smitten of God,' ^ with their unknown 
depths of agony, and then of Jesus, Him whom we 
love,'^ fathoming those black depths of agony alone ! 
^ Jesus i smitten of GodP^ can we even j^j; the words, 
and not feel moved as no other grief could move 
us ? Do not let us shrink from dwelling upon it ; 
let us rather ask the Holy Spirit, even now, to show 
us a little of what this awful smiting really was, — 
to show us our dear Lord Jesus Christ, in this tre- 
mendous proving of His own and His Father's love, 
— to whisper in our hearts as we gaze upon the 
Crucified One, ' Behold your King ! ' ^ 

' The King only. ' For, ' by Himself He purged 
our sins.' '^^ Certainly we had nothing to do with it 
then ! Certainly no other man or means had any- 
thing to do with it ! and certainly nothing and no 
one now can touch that great fact, so far out of 
reach of human quibbling and meddling, that 
Jesus, '■ His own self, bare our sins in His own body 
on the tree. ' " Is not the fact that He * with whom 



1 Isa, liii. 8. 


2 Zech. xiii. 7, 


s Heb. xiii. 20. 


4 I Pet. V. 4. 


5 John X. II. 


6 Isa. liii. 4. 


7 I Pet. i. 8. 


8 Isa. Ixiii. 3. 


8 John ix. 14. 


10 Heb. i. 3. 


11 I Pet. ii. 24. 





IRfnsbfp of tbe Mwq. «9 

we have to do,' ^ was smitten of God instead of us, 
enough ? What else can we want to guarantee our 
salvation ? 

< The King only. ' For the sorrow of our King is 
shared with His people; but in the smiting we 
have no part. We can only stand ' afar off,' ^ bowed 
and hushed in shuddering love, as the echoes of the 
awful stripes that fell on Him float down through 
the listening centuries, while each throb of the 
healed heart replies, * For me ! for me ! ' ^ 

* I have trodden the wine-press alone, and of the 
people there was none with me. ' * 



TWELFTH DAY. 



tCbe Ikinebip of tbc Iking^ 

*The king is near of kin to us.' — 2 Sam. xix. 42. 

NOT only in the Prophet raised up ' from the 
midst of thee, of thy brethren,' ^ and in the 
High Priest, 'thy brother,'^ * taken from among 
men,' ' do we see the kinship of Christ ; but in the 
divinely chosen King the same wonderful link is 
given — ' One from among thy brethren shalt thou 
set king over thee : thou mayest not set a stranger 
over thee, which is not thy brother.'® 

1 Heb. iv. 13. 2 Matt, xxvii. 55. 3 Isa. liii. 5. 

4 Isa. Ixiii. 3. 6 Deut. xviii. 15. 6 Ex. xxviii. i. 

7 Heb. V. I. 8 Deut. xvii. 15. 



30 ^^ Iking* 

How very close this brings us to our glorious 
Lord ! And yet, when we have exhausted all that 
is contained in the very full and dear idea of 
'brother,' we are led beyond, to realize One who 
* sticketh closer thsin a brother,'^ because no earthly 
relationship can entirely shadow forth what Jesus is. 
And whatever relationship we most value or most 
miss, will be the very one which, whether by posses- 
sion or loss, will show us most of Him, and yet fall 
short of His 'reality.' For we always have to go 
beyond the type to reach the antitype. 

The King is so ' near of kin,' that we may come 
to Him as the tribes of Israel did, and say, 'Behold, 
we are Thy bone and Thy flesh ; ' ^ finding many a 
sweet endorsement of the type in His word. So 
near of kin, that He is ' in all things' ' made like 
unto His brethren ; ' * and whatever is included 
in the flesh and blood of which we are partakers, 
sin only excepted, ' He also Himself likewise took 
part of the same.'* 

So ' near of kin to us,* and yet God ! Therefore 
every good thing that we find in near human relation- 
ships, we shall find in Jesus in the immeasurable 
proportion of the divine to the human. Is not this 
worth thinking out, each for ourselves? — worth 
seeking to enter into? 

But will He acknowledge the kinship ? He hath 
said, ' Whosoever sliall do the will of my Father 
which is in heaven, the same is my brother and 
sister and mother.'^ ' How beautiful to be Christ's 
little sister ! ' said a young disciple. For of course 

1 Prov. xviii. 24. 2 2 Sam. v. i. 3 Heb. ii. 17. 

•* Heb. ii. 14. 5 Matt. xii. 50. 



Ikinsblp ot tbe iking. 3*^ 

He really means it. Will not this make our prayer 
more fervent, ' Teach me to do Thy will ' ?^ 

If the King is indeed near of kin to us, the ro)'^aI 
likeness will be recognizable. Can it be said of 
us, 'As thou art, so were they ; each one resembled 
the children of a king ' ? * Nor let us shrink from 
aiming at the still higher standard, 'The King's 
daughter is all glorious wiihin.^^ 

We must not dwell only on a one-sided kinship. 
If ' He is not ashamed to call ' us ' brethren,'* shall 
we ever be ashamed to call Him Master? If He 
is ready to give us all that is implied or involved m 
near kinship, should we fail to reciprocate with all 
the love and sympathy and faithfulness which the 
tie demands on our side? 

Also, if we do realize this great privilege, let us 
prove our loyal love to our Brother-King by ' look- 
ing for and hasting unto the coming of the day'* 
of His return. Let us not incur the touching 
reproach, ' Ye are my brethren, ye are my bones 
and my flesh : wherefore then are ye the last to 
bring back the King?'^ 

Joined to Christ in mystic union, 
We Thy members, Thou our Head, 

Sealed by deep and true communion, 
Risen with Thee, who once were dead. 

Saviour, we would humbly claim 

All the power of this Thy name. 

Instant sympathy to brighten 

All their weakness and their woe, 
Guiding grace their way to lighten, 

Shall Thy loving members know, 



1 Ps cxliii. lo. 2 Judges viii. i8. 3 Ps. ^Iv. 13. 
« Heb. n. 11, 5 , Ppt \\\ tR r _ c . •■' 



5 2 Pet. iii. 18. 6 2 Sam. xix'. 12. 



32 iflR^ fiiinQ, 

All their sorrows Thou dost bear, 
All Thy gladness they shall share. 

Everlasting life Thou givest, 

Everlasting love to see ; 
They shall live because Thou livest, 

And their life is hid with Thee. 
Safe Thy members shall be found, 
When their glorious Head is crowned! 



THIRTEENTH DAY. 



^be 2)e6ire of tbe Iking, 

* So shall the King greatly desire thy beauty.' — Pa xlv, xi. 

CAN this be for us ? What beauty have we that 
the King can desire? For the more we have 
seen of His beauty/ the more we have seen of our 
own utter ugliness. What, then, can He see ? 
'My comeliness which I had put upon thee.'^ 
' The beauty of the Lord our God upon us. '^ For 
'He will beautify the meek with salvation.'* And 
so the desire of the King is set upon us. 

Perhaps we have had the dreary idea, • Nobody 
wants me ! ' We never need grope in that gloom 
again, when the King Himself desires us ! This 
desire is love active, love in glow, love going forth, 
love delighting and longing. It is the strongest 

1 Isa. vi. 5, 2 Ezek. xvi. 14. 3 Ps. xc. 17. 4 Ps. cxlix. 4. 



Besfre of tbe IRfng* 33 

representation of the love of Jesus, — something far 
beyond the love of pity or compassion ; it is taking 
pleasure in His people;^ delighting in them;^ 
willing (/. e. putting forth the grand force of His 
will) that they should be with Him where He is, 
with Him now, with Him always.* It is the love 
that does not and will not endure separation, — the 
love that cannot do without its object. ' So shall 
the King desire thy beauty. ' 

He gave us a glimpse of this gracious fervour 
when He said, * With desire I have desired to eat 
this passover with you before I suffer.'* With 
Gethsemane and Calvary in fullest view, His heart's 
desire was to spend those few last hours in closest 
intercourse with His disciples. * So ' did He desire 
them. 

Now, if we take the King at His word, and really 
believe that He thus desires us, can we possibly 
remain cold-hearted and indifferent lo Him ? Can 
we bear the idea of disappointing His love, — such 
love, — and meeting it with any such pale, cool 
response as would wound any human heart, ' I do 
not know whether I love you or not ! ' 

Oh, do let us leave off morbidly looking to see 
exactly how much we love (which is just like trying 
to warm ourselves with a thermometer, and perhaps 
only ends in doubting whether we love at all), and 
look straight away at His love and his desire ! * 
Think of Jesus actually wanting you, really de- 
siring your love, not satisfied with all the love of all 
the angels and saints unless you love him too, — 

1 Ps. cxlix. 4. - Isa. Ixii. 4. ^ John xvii. 24; ib. xii. 26. 

•1 Luke xxii. 15. & Heb. xii. 2. 



34 ^^ Iking. 

needing that little drop to fill His cup of joy! Is 
there no answering throb, no responsive glow? 

* Lord, let the glow of Thy great love 
Through my whole being shine ! ' 

Perhaps it is upon the emphatic ' so,^ as pointing 
to the context, that the intensity of the emphatic 
* greatly ' hinges. It is when the bride forgets her 
own people and her father's house,^ — that is, when 
her life and love are altogether given to her Royal 
Bridegroom, — that He ' shall greatly desire ' her 
beauty. When His glorious beauty has so filled our 
eyes, and His incomprehensible love has so filled 
our hearts,^ that He is first, and most, and dearest 
of all, — when we can say not merely, ' The desire 
of our souls is to Thy name,'^ but ' There is none 
upon earth that I desire beside Thee,'"^ — when thus 
we are, to the very depth of our being, really and 
entirely our Beloved's, then we may add, in solemn, 
wondering gladness, *And His desire is toward 
me.'^ 

O love surpassing thought, 
So bright, so grand, so clear, so true, so glorious ; 

Love infinite, love tender, love unsought, 

Love changeless, love re j oicing, love victorious ! 

And this great love for us in boundless store ; 

Christ's everlasting love ! What wouldst thou more ? 

1 Ps. xlv. lo. 2 Eph. iii. 19. ^ Isa. xxvi. 8. 

4 Ps. Ixxiih 25. 6 Cant. vii. 10. 



Sceptre of tbe lining. 35 



FOURTEENTH DAY. 



^be Sceptre of tbe IkiUQ* 

* The king held out the golden sceptre.' — Esth, viii. 4. 

JESUS is He 'that holdeth the sceptre,*^— the 
symbol first of kingly right and authority, and 
next of righteousness and justice. 'A sceptre of 
righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom/^ — 'a 
right sceptre.''' And yet the golden sceptre was 
held out as the sign of sovereign mercy to one who, ' 
by * one law of his to put him to death,' must other- 
wise have perished, 'that he may live.'* Thus, by 
the combination of direct statement and type, we 
are shown in this figure the beautiful, perfect meet- 
ing of the 'mercy and truth' of our King, the 
* righteousness and peace ' of His kingdom.^ 

Again and again the Holy Ghost repeats this 
grand blending of seemingly antagonistic attributes, 
confirming to us in many ways this strong consola- 
tion.^ 

How precious the tiny word and becomes, as we 
read, 'He is just, and having salvation.''^ 'A 

1 Amos i. 5. 2 Heb. i. 8. 3 Ps. xlv. 6. 

4 Esth, iv. II. 6 Ps. Ixxxv. 10; ib. Ixxii. 2, 3. 

« Heb. vi. i8. 7 Zech. ix. 9. 



36 HXs^ IRiriQ. 

merciful and faithful High Priest.'^ ^A just God, 
and SL Saviour.'^ We do not half value God's /////^ 
words. 

To *the King's enemies' the sceptre is a 'rod of 
iron'^ (for the word is the same in Hebrew). 
They cannot rejoice in the justice which they defy. 
To the King's willing subjects it is indeed golden, 
a beautiful thing, and a most precious thing. We 
admire and glory in His absolute justice and right- 
eousness ; it satisfies the depths of our moral being, 
— it is so strong, so perfect. 

His justice is, if we may reverently say so, the 
strong point of His atoning work. The costly 
means of our redemption were paid for ' at the full 
price.'* He fulfilled the law. There was nothing 
wanting in all the work which His Father gave Him 
to do. He finished it.^ And His Father was 
satisfied. Thus He was just towards His Father, 
that He might be faithful and just to forgive us our 
sins.® It is no weak compassion, merely wrought 
on by misery, but strong, grand, infinite, and equal 
justice and mercy, balanced as they never are in 
human minds. For only the ways of the Lord are 
thus * equal . ' '' 

And oh, how ' sweet is Thy mercy ' ! and just 
because of the justice, how 'sure'!^ Esther said, 
'If I perish, I perish.'^ So need not we, 'for His 
mercy endureth for ever.'^** And so, every time we 
come into the audience chamber of our King, we 

1 Heb ii. 17. 2 Isa. xlv. 21. 

3 Ps. xlv. 5 ; ib. ii. 9. * 1 Chron. xxi. 24 ; Matt. v. 17. 

5 John xvii. 4; Isa. xlii. 21. ^ i John i. 9. 

7 Ezek. xviii. 25. 8 Ps. cix. 20, P. B. V; Isa. Iv. 3. 

9 Esth. iv, 16. 10 Ps. cxxxvi. i. 



Qicaving to tbe Iking. 37 

know that the golden spectre will be held out to us, 
first ' that we may live,' ^ and then for favour after 
favour. ^Let us therefore come boldly unto the 
throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and 
find grace to help in time of need.'^ Not stand 
afar off and think about it, and keep our King 
waiting; but, like Esther, Met us draw near,'^ and 
' touch the top of the sceptre. ' * 



FIFTEENTH DAY. 



Cleaving to tbe Iking. 

' The men of Judah clave unto their king.' — 2 Sam. xx. 2. 

FOR it is not a matter of course that coming is 
followed by cleaving. Even when the King 
Himself, in His veiled royalty, walked and talked 
with His few faithful followers, ' many of his dis- 
ciples went back, and walked no more with Him.'^ 
There was no word of indignation or reproach, 
only the appeal of infinite pathos from His 
gracious lips, ' Will ye also go away ? ' ® 

Let this sound in our ears to-day, not only in 
moments of temptation to swerve from truest- 
hearted loyalty and service, but all through the 
business of the day ; stirring our too easy-going 

1 F,?th. V. 2; iv. II ; viii. 3, 4. " Heb. iv. i6. 3 Heb. x. 22. 

^ Esth. V. 2. ^ John vi. 66. <5 John vi. 67. 



38 ^^ Iking, 

resting into active cleaving; quickening our 
following afar off ^ into following hard after Him / 
rousing us to add to the blessed assurance, ^ Thine 
are we, David ! ' the bolder and nobler position, 
' and on Thy side I '^ 

For this cleaving is not a mere terrified clinging 
for safety, — it is the bright, brave resolution, 
strengthened, not weakened, by the sight of waver- 
ers or renegades, to be on His side, come what may, 
because He is our King, because we love Him, be- 
cause His cause and His kingdom are so very dear 
to us. 

We cannot thus cleave, without loosening from 
other interests. But what matter ! Let us be noble 
for Jesus, like the men of might who ' separated 
themselves unto David,' and who * held strongly 
with him in his kingdom.'* Shall we be mean 
enough to aim at less, when it is our Lord Jesus who 
would have us entirely ' with Him '?^ 

It is, after all, the easiest and safest course. The 
especial friends and ' the mighty men which be- 
longed to David, '^ not only did not follow the 
usurping Adonijah, but they were never tempted to 
do so. ' But me, even me thy servant, . . . hath 
he not called. ''' There is many a temptation, very 
powerful and dangerous to a camp-follower, which 
the enemy knows it is simply useless to present to 
one of the body-guard. Our Father leads us ' not 
into temptation/^ when He leads us closer to Jesus. 

The Bible never speaks of ' good resolutions,* 

1 Matt. xxvi. 58. 2 Ps. Ixiii. 8. 3 i Chron. xii. 18. 

* I Chron. xii. 8 ; i Chron. xi. 10, marg. 5 Cant. iv. 8. 

6 I Kings i. 8. 7 i Kings 1. 26. 8 Matt. vi. 13; i Sam. xxii. 23. 



^be 5os ot tbe Mwq* 39 

but again and again of ' purpose.'^ And this is 
what we want, that * with purpose of heart ' we 
should * cleave nnto the Lord. '^ Have we this 
distinct purpose to-day ? Do we really mean, God 
helping us, to cleave to our King to-day ? Do not 
let us dare to go forth to the certain conflicts and 
temptations of the day with this negative but real 
disloyalty of want of purpose in the matter. And 
*if our heart condemn us/' let us at once turn to 
Him who says, * I have caused to cleave unto me 
the whole house of Israel.'* His grace shall enable 
us to cleave unto our King. 



SIXTEENTH DAY. 



ZTbe 3oij of tbe *B^inQ* 

* David the king also rejoiced with great joy.' — I Chron. 
xxix. 9. 

DO not let us think of the joy of our King over 
His people as only future. While we cannot 
look forward too much to the day when He shall 
present us * faultless before the presence of His 
glory with exceeding joy,'^ let us not overlook the 
present gladness which we, even we, who have so 
often grieved Him, may give to our King. 

Elsewhere we hear of the joy of angels over 

1 2 Tim. iii. lo. 2 Acts xi. 23. 3 i John iii. 20. 

4 Jer. xiii. 11. 6 Jude 24. 



40 ^S Iking* 

repenting sinners ;' here we have a glimpse of the 
joy of the King of angels over His consecrated 
ones. Look at the whole passage, — it is full of 
typical light, — and let us take it ' for our learning.''^ 
' Who then is willing to consecrate his service 
this day unto the Lord ? '^ Silence is negative 
here : there must be a definite heart-response if we 
are willing. Are you? If so, when? The King's 
question says nothing of some day, but of ' this 
day.' And the question is put to you: if never 
before, it is sounding in your ears now. Shall your 
service be His, 'this day,'* and henceforth? or 

The result of willing consecration of ourselves 
and our service is always joy. ' The people rejoiced, 
for that they offered willingly ; '^ but was it not far 
more, far sweeter, that their king ' also rejoiced with 
great joy ' ? How they must have felt when He 
said, ' Now have I seen with joy Thy people which 
are present here, to offer willingly unto Thee ! '^ 

For when a heart and life are willingly offered 
and fully surrendered to Him, He sees of ' the 
travail of His soul''^ in it; it is a new accomplish- 
ment of the work which He came to do : and what 
then ? He ' is satisfied. ' If motive were wanting 
to yield ourselves unto Him,® would it not be more 
than supplied by the thought that it will be satis- 
faction and joy to Him ' who loved us and washed 
us from our sins in His own blood ' ?^ It seems just 
the one blessed opportunity given to us of being 

1 Luke XV. lo. 2 Rom. xv. 4. ^ 1 Chron. xxix. 5. 

< Josh. xxiv. 15. 5 I Chron. xxix. 9. ^ i Chron. xxix. 17, 

7 Isa. liii. n. 8 Rom. vi. 13. 8 Rev. i. 5. 



^be MorO of tbe Ikins. 41 

His true cup-bearers/ of bringing the wine of joy 
to our King ; and in so doing He will make our 
own cups to run over.^ 

As our own hearts are filled with the intense joy 
of consecration to our Lord, a yet intenser glow 
will come as we remember that His joy is greater 
than ours, for He is anointed ' with the oil of glad- 
ness above ' His ' fellows.'^ 

Shall not ' this day ' be * the day of the gladness 
of "His heart'?* Will you not consecrate your 
service to-day unto Him ? ^ For then ' He will 
save, He will rejoice over f/iee with joy; He will 
rest in His love ; He will joy over fhee with 
singing.'* 

Take myself, and I will be, 
Ever, onfy, all, for Thee ! 



SEVENTEENTH DAY. 



1Re6t on tbe 'Mort) of tbe Iking* 

♦The word of my lord the king shall now be for rest' {mar- 
gin). — 2 Sam. xiv. 17. 

HERE is the whole secret of rest from the very 
beginning to the very end. The word of 
our King is all we have and all we need for deep, 
utter heart-rest, which no surface waves of this 

1 I Kings X. 5. 2 Ps. xxiii. 5. 3 Ps. xlv. 7, 

* Caat. iii. 11. 5 i Chron. xxix. 5. 6 Zeph. iii. 17. 



42 jflRs Iking. 

troublesome world can disturb.^ What gave 'rest 
from thy sorrow and from thy fear '^ at the very 
first, when we wanted salvation and peace ? It was 
not some vague, pleasing impression, some in- 
definable hush that came to us (or if it was, the 
unreality of the rest was soon proved), but some 
word of our King which we saw to be worthy of all 
acceptation f we believed it,* and by it Jesus gave* 
us rest.^ 

There is no other means of rest for all the wav 
but the very same. The moment we simply believe 
any word of the King, we find that it is truly * for 
rest,'® about the point to which it refers. And 
if we would but go on taking the King's word about 
every single thing, we should always find it, then 
and there, ' for rest.' Every flutter of unrest may, 
if we look honestly into it, be traced to not entirely 
and absolutely taking the King's word. His words 
are enough for rest at all times, and in all circum- 
stances; therefore we are sinning the great sin of 
unbelief whenever we allow ourselves in any phase 
of unrest. It is not infirmity, but sin, to neglect to 
make use of the promises which He meant for our 
strong consolation and continual help.^ And we 
ought not to acquiesce in the shadows which are 
only around us, because we do not hear, or hearing 
do not heed, God's call into the sunshine. 

Take the slightest and commonest instances. 
If we have an entire and present belief in 'My 
grace is sufficient for thee,'^ or, *Lo, I am with 

1 Job. xxxiv. 29. 2 Isa. xiv. 3. 3 i Tim. i. 15. 

4 2 Thess. ii. 13. '^ Heb. iv. 2, 3, 6 Mark. ix. 23. 

7 Heb. vi. 18. 8 2 Cor. xii. 9. 



\ trbe morD of tbe Iking. 43 

you alway,'' ^ should we feel nervous at anything He 
calls us to do for Him ? Would not that word be 
indeed 'for rest'^ in the moment of need, — 'rest 
from the hard bondage ' of service to which we feel 
unequal?^ Have we not sometimes found it so, 
and if so, why not always? I see nothing about 
'sometimes' in any of His promises. If we have 
an entire and present belief that 'all things work 
together for good,'"* or that He leads us 'forth 
by the right way, ' '^ should we feel worried when 
some one thing seems to work wrong, and some one 
yard of the way is not what we think straightest? 

We lean upon the word of the King for ever- 
lasting life,® why not for daily life also? For it 
shall 'nowhe for rest;' only try it to-day, 'now,* 
and see if it shall not be so ! When he says 
'perfect peace," He cannot mean imperfect peace. 
'The people rested themselves upon the words of 
Hezekiah king of Judah.'^ Just so simply let us 
rest upon the words of our King, Jesus ! 

1 Matt, xxviii. 20. 2 Phil. iv. 19. 3 Isa. xiv. 3. 

■* Rom. viii. 28. 6 Ps.cvii. 7. ^ i John ii. 23. 

' Isa. xxvi. 3. 82 Chron. xxxii. 8. 



44 ^S 1king» 



EIGHTEENTH DAY. 



Cbe 36u0ine60 of tbe Iking* 

* The king's business required haste.' — I Sam. xxi. 8. 

AND yet there is no other business about which 
average Christians take it so easy. They 
' must '^ go their usual round, they ' must ' write 
their letters, they * must ' pay off their visits and 
other social claims, they * must ' do all that is 
expected of them ; and then, after this and that 
and the other thing is cleared off, they will do what 
they can of the King's business.^ They do not say 
'must' about that, unless it is some part of His 
business which is undertaken at second-hand, and 
with more sense of responsibility to one's clergy- 
man than to one's King. Is this being * faithful and 
loyal and single hearted ?'^ If it has been so, oh, let 
it be so no more ! How can * Jesus On/y '* be our 
motto, when we have not even said ' Jesus Jirst^ ?^ 

The King's business requires haste. It is always 
pressing, and may never be put off. Much of it 
has to do with souls which may be in eternity 
to-morrow f and with opportunities which are gone 

1 Luke xiv. 20. 2 Luke ix. 59, 61. 3 Eph. vi. 5, 6. 

4 Matt. xvii. 8. 5 Matt. vi. 33. 6 Luke xii. 20. 



^Business of tbe IRlng. 45 

for ever if not used then and there ; there is no 

* convenient season '^ for it but * to-day. '^ Often it is 
not really done at all, because it is not done in the 
spirit of holy haste. We meet an unconverted 
friend again and again, and beat about the bush, 
and think to gain quiet influence and make way 
gradually, and call it judicious not to be in a hurry, 
when the real reason is that we are wanting in holy 
eagerness and courage to do the King's true business 
wijh lh?t soul, and in nine such cases out of ten 
nothing ever comes out of it ; but * As thy servant 
was busy here and there, he was gone.'^ Have we 
not found it so ? 

Delay in the Lord's errands is next to disobedience, 
and generally springs out of it, or issues in it. 
^God commanded me to make haste.'* Let us see 
to it that we can say, ' I made haste, and delayed 
not to keep Thy commandments.'^ 

We never know what regret and punishment 
delay in the King's business may bring upon our- 
selves. Amasa * tarried longer than the set time 
which he (the king) had appointed him, '^ and the 
result was death to himself. Contrast the result in 
Abigail's case, where, except she had hasted, her 
household would have perished. '^ 

We find four rules for doing the King's business, 
in His word. We are to do it, — first, ' Heartily ; '^ 
second, * Diligently ; '* third, ' Faithfully ; '^° fourth, 

• Speedily. '^^ Let us ask Him to give us the grace 

1 Acts xxiv. 25. 2 Heb. iii. 13. 3 i Kings xx. 40. 

■* 2 Chron. XXXV. 21, & Ps. cxix. 6o. ^ 2 Sam. xx. 5. 

7 I Sam. XXV. 34. 8 Col. iii. 23. 9 Ezra vii. 23. 

*0 2 Chron. xxxiv. 12. n Ezra vii. 21. 



46 ^^ 'IkiwQ, 

of energy to apply them this day to whatever He 
indicates as our part of His business, remembering 
that He said ' I mus/ be about my Father's busi- 
ness.'^ 

Especially in that part of it which is between 
Himself and ourselves alone, let us never delay. 
Oh, the incalculable blessings that we have already 
lost by putting off our own dealings with our King ! 
Abigail first ' made haste '^ to meet David for mere 
safety; soon afterwards, she again ' hasted and arose 
and went after the messengers of David, and became 
his wife.'^ 

Thus hasting, we shall rise from privilege to 
privilege, and ' go from strength to strength.'* 

What shall be our word for Jesus ? Master, give it day by day; 
Ever as the need arises, teach Thy children what to say. 
Give us holy love and patience ; grant us deep humility, 
That of self we may be emptied, and our hearts be full of 

Thee; 
Give us zeal and faith and fervour, make us winning, make us 

wise, 
Single-hearted, strong and fearless; — Thou hast called us, we 

will rise ! 
Let the might of Thy good Spirit go with every loving word; 
And by hearts prepared and opened, be our message always 

heard ! 

1 Luke ii.49. 2 I Sam. xxv. 18. 

* I Sam. xxv. 42. * Ps. Ixxxiv. 7. 



^be IRcaMness ot tbe Iking's Servants. 47 



NINETEENTH DAY. 



^be 1Rcat)ine60 of tbe Mwq'b 
Servant6* 

* Thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king 
shall appoint.' — 2 Sam. xv, 15. 

THIS is the secret of steady and unruffled glad- 
ness in * the business of the Lord, and the 
service of the King/^ whether we are 'over the 
treasures of the house of God,'^ or, ' for the outward 
business over Israel.'^ 

It makes all the difference ! If we are really, and 
always, and equally ready to do whatsoever'^ the 
King appoints, all the trials and vexations arising 
from any change in His appointments, great or 
small, simply do not exist. If He appoints me to 
work there, shall I lament that I am not to work 
here?^ If he appoints me to wait in-doors to-day, 
am I to be annoyed because I am not to work out- 
of-doors? If I meant to write 1^\% messages this 
morning, shall I grumble because He sends inter- 
rupting visitors, rich or poor, to whom I am to 
speak them, or * show kindness '^ for His sake, or 

1 I Chron. xxvi. 30. ~ i Chron. xxvi. 20. 3 i Chron. xxvi. 29. 

4 John ii. s . 5 Josh. i. 16. 6 2 Sam. ix. 3. 



48 /IR^ Iking* 

at least obey His command, ' Be courteous ' ?^ If all 
my ' members '^ are really at His disposal, why 
should I be put out if to-day's appointment is some 
simple work for my hands or errands for my feet, 
instead of some seemingly more important doing of 
head or tongue ? 

Does it seem a merely ideal life ? Try it ! begin 
at once ; before you venture away from this quiet 
moment, ask your King to take you ' wholly ' into 
His service, and place all the hours of this day 
quite simply at His disposal, and ask Him to make 
and keep you ready to do just exactly what He 
appoints. Never mind about to-morrow;' one day 
at a time is enough. Try it to-day, and see if it is 
not a day of strange, almost curious peace, so sweet 
that you will be only too thankful, when to-morrow 
comes, to ask Him to take it also, — till it will 
become a blessed habit to hold yourself simply and 
'■ wholly at Thy commandment ' * for any manner 
of service.'* 

Then will come, too, an indescribable and unex- 
pected sense of freedom, and a total relief from the 
self-imposed bondage of * having to get through * 
what we think lies before us. For, '■ of the chil- 
dren of Israel did Solomon make no bondmen.'^ 

Then, too, by thus being ready, moment by 
moment, for whatsoever He shall appoint, we 
realize very much more that we are not left alone, 
but that we are dwelling ^ with the King for His 
work.'^ Thus the very fact of an otherwise vexa- 

1 I Pet. iii. 8. . 2 Rom. vi. 13. 3 Jas. iv. 14. 

* I Chron. xxviii. 21. » i Kings ix. 22. ^ i Chron. iv. 23. 



ZTbe IReaDiness of tbe fkiwQ'B Servants, 49 

tious interruption is transmuted into a precious 
proof of the nearness of the King.-^ His interfer- 
ence implies His interest and His presence. 

The * whatsoever ' is not necessarily active work. 
It may be waiting ( whether half an hour or half a 
lifetime), learning, suffering, sitting still. But, 
dear fellow-servants of ' my Lord the King,' shall 
we be less ready for these, if any of them are His 
appointments for to-day ? * Whatsoever the king 
did'pleased all the people.'^ 

'Ready' implies something of preparation, — not 
being taken by surprise. So let us ask Him to pre- 
pare us for all that He is preparing for us. And may 
' the hand of God give ' us * one heart to do the 
commandment of the King !'^ 

' Lord, I have given my life to Thee, 
And every day and hour is Thine ; 

What Thou appointest let them be ; 
Thy will is better, Lord, than mine.' 

* A. L. Waring. 

1 Ps. cxxxix. 5. 22 Sam. iii. 36. 3 2 Chron. xxx. 12. 



50 /IB^ Iking. 



TWENTIETH DAY. 



^be 3fr(en&6bip of tbe Iking^ 

* He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips 
the king shall be his friend.' — Prov. xxii. il. 

< T X /"HO can say, I have made my heart clean, I 
VV am pure'?^ Who must not despair of the 
friendship of the King if this were the condition?^ 
But His wonderful condescension in promising His 
friendship bends yet lower in its tenderly devised 
condition. Not to the absolutely pyre in heart, ^ but 
to the perhaps very sorrowfully longing lover of that 
pureness, come the gracious words, " The King shall 
be his Friend.' 

Yet there must be some proof of this love ; and 
it is found in ' the grace of His lips.' * For out of 
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.'* 
Here, again, we stop and question our claim; for 
our speech has not always been * with grace; '^ and 
the memory of many a graceless and idle word 
rises to bar it.® How then shall the King be our 
Friend ? Another word comes to our help : ' Grace 

1 Prov. XX. 9. 2 Hab. i. 13. 3 Matt. v. 8. 

4 Matt. xii. 34. 6 Col. iv. 6. « Matt. xii. 36. 



jfrfenDsblp ot tbe Iking* 51 

is poured into thy lips,'^ — grace that overflowed in 
gracious words, ^ such as never man spake, ^ perfectly 
holy and beautiful ; and we look up to our King 
and plead that He has Himself fulfilled the condi- 
tion in which we have failed, — that this is part of 
the righteousness which He wrought for us, and 
which is really unto us and upon us, because we 
believe in Him ;* and so, for the grace of His own 
lips, the King shall be our Friend. 

-Who has not longed for an ideal and yet a real 
friend, — one who should exactly understand us,^ to 
whom we could tell everything,® and in whom we 
could altogether confide, — one who should be very 
wise and very true,'^ — one of whose love and unfail- 
ing interest we could be certain ?^ There are other 
points for which we could not hope, — that this 
friend should be very far above us, and yet the very 
nearest and dearest, always with us,^ always think- 
ing of us, always doing kind and wonderful things 
for us ; ^^ undertaking and managing everything ; ^^ 
forgetting nothing, failing in nothing ;^^ quite cer- 
tain never to change and never to die,^^ — so that 
this one grand friendship should fill our lives, and 
that we really never need trouble about anything 
for ourselves any more at all." 

Such is our Royal Friend, and more; for no 
human possibilities of friendship can illustrate what 
He is to those to whom He says, 'Ye are my 
friends. '^^ We, even we, may look up to our 

1 Ps. xlv. 2. 2 Luke iv. 22. 3 John vii. 46. 

4 Rom. iii. 22. 5 Ps. cxxxix. 2. ^ Mark vi. 30. 

7 Rev. xix. II. 8 John xiii. i. ^ Matt, xxviii. 20. 

^0 Ps. xl. 17. 11 Isa. xxxviii. 14. 12 Zeph, iii. 5. 

13 Mai. iii. 6. 14 i Pet. v. 7. 15 John xv. 14. 



52 ^S IkinQ* 

glorious King, our Lord and our God, and say, 
*This is my Beloved, and this is my Friend!'^ 
And then we,^ven we, may claim the privilege of 
being 'the King's companion'^ and the 'King's 
friend.'^ 



TWENTY-FIRST DAY. 



Zbc Xigbt of tbe Mwq'q 
Countenance^ 

* In the light of the king's countenance is life.' — Prov. 
xvi. 15. 

BUT first fell the solemn words, 'Thou hast set 
our secret sins in the light of Thy counte- 
nance.'* That was the first we knew of its bright- 
ness ; and to some its revelation has been so terrible, 
that they can even understand how the Lord 'shall 
destroy' the wicked 'with the brightness of His 
coming.'^ Yet, though we feel that 'His eyes 
were as a flame of fire,'^ we found also that our 
'King that sitteth in the throne of judgment, scat- 
tereth away all evil with His eyes;'^ and that it 
was when we stood in that light, that we found the 
power of the precious blood of Jesus, the Anointed 
One, to cleanse us from all sin. ^ 

1 Cant. V. 16. 2 I Chron. xxvii. 33. ^ i Kings iv. 5. 

■1 Ps. xc. 8. 5 2 Thess. ii. 8. 6 Rev. i. 14. 

7 Prov. XX. 8. 81 John i. 7. 



^be Ikins's Countenance. 53 

This gives new value to the promise, * They shall 
walk, O Lord, in the light of Thy countenance;'^ 
for it is when we walk in the light that we may 
claim and do realize the fulness of its power and 
preciousness, — not for fitful and occasional cleans- 
ing, but for a glorious, perpetual, present cleansing 
from all sin. Do not let us translate it into another 
tense for ourselves, and read,^ ^did cleanse last 
tirye we knelt and asked for it,' but keep to the 
tense which the Holy Ghost has written, and meet 
the foe-flung darts of doubt^ with faith's great 
answer, * The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleans- 
eth (/. e. goes on cleansing) us from all sin.' 

Thus the light of His countenance shall save us. 
Look at Ps. xliv. 3, where we see it as the means 
of past salvation,* and then at Ps. xlii. 5, where the 
Psalmist anticipates praise for its future help;^ 
while the two are beautifully linked by the marginal 
reading of the latter, which makes it present salva- 
tion : ^ Thy presence is salvation. ' 

Then follows peace. The waves are stilled, and 
the storm-clouds flee away noiselessly and swiftly 
and surely, when He lifts up the light of His coun- 
tenance upon us, and gives us peace. ^ For this 
uplifting is the shining forth of His favour,^ — the 
smile instead of the frown ; and as we walk in the 
light of it, the peace will grow into joy, and we 
shall be even here and now * exceeding glad with 
Thy countenance,'^ while every step will bring us 
nearer to the resurrection joy of Christ Himself, 

1 Ps. Ixxxix. 15. 2 Rev. xxii. 18, 19. 8 Eph. vi. 16. 

^ Ps. xliv. 3. 5 Ps. xlii, 5. ^ Num. vi. 26, 

^ 2 Sam. xxiii. 4. 8 Ps, xxi. 6. 



54 /IBs Ikfng. 

saying with Him, ^Thou shalt make me full of joy 
with Thy countenance.'^ 

So we shall find day by day, that in the light of 
the King's countenance is cleansing, salvation, 
peace, joy; — and do not these make up life, the 
new life, the glad life of the children of the King? 

'Lord, lift Thou up the light of Thy countenance 
upon us' ^ this day, and in it let us have life, yea, 
*Life more abundantly.' ^ 

* He that followeth me shall not walk in dark- 
ness, but shall have the light of life, ' * 



TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 



Zbc ^ent)erne00 of tbe Iking^ 

* And the king commanded, saying, Deal gently for my sake 
with the young man, even with Absalom.' — 2 Sam. xviii. 5. 

EVEN with Absalom ! Even with the heartless, 
deliberate traitor and rebel. ^ We must 
recollect clearly what he was, to appreciate the 
exquisite tenderness of David in such a command 
to his rough war captains in such untender times. 
For the sake of his people and his kingdom, he 
must send them forth against him, but the deep love 
gushes out in the bidding, * Deal gently for my sake. ' 
It was no new impulse. When Amnon was mur- 

1 Acts ii. 28. 2 Ps. iv. 6. 3 John x. 10. 

4 John viii. 12. 6 2 Sam. xv. 2-n. 



^enDerness ot tbe fcing. 55 

dered, the king 'wept very sore,' and 'mourned 
for his son every day,'^ and yet, when the fratricide 
had fled, ' the soul of King David longed to go 
forth unto him, "^ and 'the king's heart was toward 
Absalom.'^ And when God's own vengeance fell 
upon the wicked son, David's lamentation over him 
is perhaps unparalleled in its intensity of pathos 
among the records of human tenderness.* 

Turn to the Antitype, and see the divine tender- 
ness of our King. Again and again it gleams out, 
whether He himself wept, or whether He said, 
'Weep not,'^ — whether in the tender look, the 
tender word, or the tender touch of gentlest mercy. 
The Gospels are full of His tenderness. There is 
not room here even for the bare mention of the 
instances of it ; but will you not give a little time 
to searching quietly for them, so that, reading them 
under the teaching of the Holy Spirit,^ you may 
get a concentrated viewof the wonderful tenderness 
of Jesus, and yield your heart to be moved by it, 
and your spirit to be so penetrated by it, that you 
may share it and reflect it? Remember that in such 
a search we learn not only what He did and said, 
nor only what He was, but what He is ; and in all 
His recorded tenderness we are looking into the 
presentht3xt of Jesus, and seeing what we shall find 
for ourselves as we have need. For He is ' this same 
Jesus '^ to-day. 

Then let us glance at the volume of our own 
experience. Who that has had any dealings with 

1 2 Sam. xiii. 36, 37. 2 2 Sam. xiii. 39. 3 2 Sam. xiv. i. 

4 2 Sam. xviii. 33. 5 Luke xix. 41; ib. vii. 13; ib. xxii. 61. 

6 John xiv. 26. ' Acts i. 11. 



56 jflRlS IkinQ. 

Christ at all, but must bear witness that He has in- 
deed dealt gently with us. Has not even suffering 
been sweet when it showed us more of this ? ^ What 
if He had ever ' dealt with us after our sins ' ! ^ But 
He never did, and never will.^ He hath dealt 
gently and will deal gently with us, for His own 
sake, and according to His own heart, from the first 
drawings of His loving-kindness, on throughout the 
measureless developments of his everlasting love/ 
Not till we are in heaven shall we. know the full 
meaning of * Thy gentleness hath made me great. '^ 
May we not recognize a command in this, as well 
as a responsibility to follow the example of the 
'■ gentleness of Christ ' ?^ Perhaps next time we are 
tempted to be a little harsh or hasty with an erring 
or offending one, the whisper will come, * Deal 
gently, for My sake ! ' 

Return ! 
O erring, yet beloved ! 
I wait to bind thy bleeding feet, for keen 
And rankling are the thorns where thou hast been ; 
I wait to give thee pardon, love, and rest. 
(Is not my joy to see thee safe and blest ? ) 
Return ! I wait to hear once more thy voice, 
To welcome thee anew, and bid thy heart rejoice ! 

Return ! 
O chosen of my love ! 
Fear not to meet thy beckoning Saviour's view ; 
Long ere I called thee by thy name, I knew 
That very treacherously thou wouldst deal ; 
Now I have seen thy ways, — yet I will heal. 
Return ! Wilt thou yet linger far from Me ? 
My wrath is turned away, I have redeemed thee ! 

1 Lam. iii. 32. 2 Ps. ciii. 10. 3 Job xi. 6. 

4 Jer. xxxi. 3. 5 Ps. xviii. 35. ^ 2 Cor. x. i. 



Zo}{cn ot tbe IRina'0 ©race. 57 



TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 



TTbe Soften of tbe Mwq^b (Brace* 

* To-day thy servant knoweth that I have found grace in thy 
sight, my lord, O king, in that the king hath fulfilled the 
request of his servant.' — 2 Sam. xiv. 22. 

AN answered prayer makes us glad for its own 
sake. But there is grace behind the gift 
which is better and more gladdening than the gift 
itself. For which is most valued, the ' engaged 
ring,' or the favour of which it is the token? 
Setting aside judicial answers to unspiritual prayers/ 
which an honest conscience will have no difficulty 
in distinguishing, the servants of the King may take 
it that His answers to their requests are proofs and 
tokens of His grace and favour,^ — of His real, and 
present, and personal love to themselves individually. 
When they are receiving few or none, they should 
search for the cause, lest it should be some hidden 
or unrecognized sin.^ For * if I regard iniquity in 
my heart, the Lord will not hear me ; '* so never 
let us go on comfortably and easily when He is silent 
to us. And instead of envying others who get 

1 Ps. cvi. 15 ; Hos. xiii. 11, etc. - i John iii. 22. 

3 Job X. 2. * I Sam. xxviii. 6; Ps. xix. 12; ib. Ixvi. 18 



58 ^^ Ifjlng. 

* such wonderful answers/ Met us search and try 
our ways.'^ 

Personal acceptance comes first. We must be 
' accepted in the Beloved '^ before we can look to 
be answered through the Beloved. Is there a doubt 
about this, and a sigh over the words? There need 
not be ; for now, at this moment, the old promise 
stands with its unchangeable welcome to the weary : 

* Him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast 
out.'^ Then, if you come, now, at this moment, on 
the strength of His word, you cannot be rejected ; 
and if not rejected, there is nothing but one blessed 
alternative — ' accepted ! ' 

Then come the answers ! As surely as the prayers 
go up from the accepted one, so surely will the 
blessings come down. When Esther had touched 
the golden sceptre, * thefi said the king unto her. 
What wilt thou, queen Esther? and what is thy 
request ? it shall be even given thee to the half of 
the kingdom.'* But there is no 'half in our 
King's promise. He says, ' All things ' and ' what- 
soever.'^ And He does *■ do exceeding abundantly 
above all that we ask or think,' and more than fulfils 
our little scanty requests.® 

And then, by every fresh fulfilment we should 
receive ever new assurance of our acceptance, — 
then (shall it not be * to-day' ?), as we give thanks 
for each gracious answer, we may look up confidingly 
and joyfully, and say, 'Thy servant knoweth \\\2.X. 
I have found grace in thy sight. ' For He says, 

1 Lam. iii. 40. 2 Eph. i. 6. 

3 John vi. 37; Hcb. vii. 25. ^ Esth. v. 3. 

6 Matt. xxi. 22 ; John xiv. 13. 6 Eph. iii. 20 ; 1 Kings x. 13. 



©mniscicncc ot tbe IkinQ, 59 

• See, I have hearkened to thy voice, and have 
accepted thy person.'^ 

Accepted, Perfect, and Complete, ^ 
For God's inheritance made meet!^ 
How true, how glorious, and how sweet!* 



TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 



^be ®mni0cience of tbe Iking* 

' There is no matter hid from the king.' — 2 Sam. xviii. 13. 

THE very attributes which are full of terror to 
* the King's enemies,'^ are full of comfort to 
the King's friends. Thus His omniscience is like 
the pillar, which was ' a cloud and darkness ' to the 
Egyptians, but ' gave light by night ' to the Israel- 
ites.* 

The king's own General complained of a man 
who did not act precisely as he himself would have 
acted. In his reply he uses these words, ' There is 
no matter hid from the king.* The appeal was 
final, and Joab had no more to say. When others 
say, like Joab, * *' W/iy didst thou not " do so and 
so? ' and we know or find that full reasons cannot 
be given or cannot be understood, what rest it is to 
fall back upon the certainty that our King knows 

1 I Sam. XXV. 35. 2 Eph. i. 6. 3 Col.i . 28. 

■* Col. ii. 10. S Ps. xlv. 5. 6 Ex, xiv. 20. 



6o ^^ Iking* 

all about it ! When we are wearied out with trying- 
to make people understand, how restful it is that na 
explanations are wanted when we come to speak to 
Him ! ^ *A11 things are naked 'and opened unto 
the eyes of Him with whom we have to do ; ' ^ and 
the more we have to do with Him, the more glad 
and thankful we shall be that there is ^not anything' 
hid from the King.^ 

In perplexities, — when we cannot understand 
what is going on around us — cannot tell whither 
events are tending — cannot tell what to do, because 
we cannot see into or through the matter before us^ 
— let us be calmed and steadied and made patient 
by the thought that what is hidden from us is not 
hidden from Him. If He chooses to guide us 
blindfold, let Him do it ! * It will not make the 
least difference to the reality and rightness of the 
guidance. ^ 

In mysteries, — when we see no clue — when we 
cannot at all understand God's partial i-evelation — 
when we cannot lift the veil that hangs before His 
secret counsel — when we cannot pierce the holy 
darkness that enshrouds His ways, or tread the 
great deep of His judgments where His footsteps 
are not known, ^ — is it not enough that even these 
matters are not hid from our King? 'My father 
will do nothing, either great or small, but he will 
show it me.' ^ * For the Father loveth the Son, and 
showeth Him all things that Himself doeth.' ^ 

Our King could so easily reveal everything to us,. 

1 Job xxiii. lo. 2 Heb. iv. 13. 3 i Kings x. 3. 

4 Isa. xlii. 16. 5 Ps. cvii. 7. 

^ Ps. xcvii. 2; ib. xxxvi. 6; ib. Ixxvii. iQ, ' i Sam. xx. 2, 

8 John V. 20. 



power ot tbe IfcinQ's IClorD, 6i 

and make everything so clear ! It would be noth- 
ing to Him to tell us all our questions. When he 
does not, cannot we trust Him, and just be satisfied 
that He knows, and would tell us if it were best? 
He has * many things to say ' unto us, but He waits 
till we can bear them.^ 

May we be glad that even our sins are ' not hid ' 
from Him? Yes, surely, for He who knows all 
can and will cleanse all. He has searched us and 
kn©wn us,'^ as we should shrink from knowing 
ourselves, and yet He has pardoned, and yet He 
loves ! ^ 



TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 



Zlbe power of tbe lking'6 Morb* 

• Where the word of a king is, there is power.' — Eccl. viii. 4. 

THEN the question is, WJiere is it ? ' Let the 
word of Christ dwell in you richly,'* and 
* there,' even ' in you,' will be power. 

The Crowned One, who is now ' upholding all 
things by the word of His power, '^ hath said, 'I 
have given them Thy word.'^ And those who have 
received this great gift, * not as the word of men, 
but, as it is in truth, the word of God,' know that 

1 John xvi. 12. 2 Ps_ cxxxix. i. 3 Jsa. xlviii. 8. 

* Col. iii. i6. 6 Heb. ii. 9; ib, i. 3. ' Johnxvii. 14. 



63 m>s 1Rmg» 

^ there is power ' with it, because it ' effectually 
worketh also ' in them.^ 

They know its life-giving power, for they can 
say, * Thy word hath quickened me;'^ and its life- 
sustaining power, for they live * by every word that 
proceedeth out of the mouth of God.'^ They can 
say, ' Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I 
might not sin against Thee; '* for in proportion as 
the word of the King is present in the heart, ^jf/iere 
is power ' ^ against sin. Then let us use this means 
of absolute power more, and more life and more 
holiness will be ours. 

' His word was with power ' ^ in Capernaum of 
old, and it will be with the same power in any place 
now-a-days. His word cannot fail; it ^ shall not 
return void ; ' it 'j*/^^// prosper. ' ^ Therefore, when 
our * words fall to the ground,'^ it only proves that 
they were not His words. So what we want is not 
merely that His power may accompany our word, 
but that we may not speak our own at all, but 
simply and only the very Svord of the King.' 
Then there will be power in and with it. Bows 
drawn at a venture^ hit in a way that astonishes 
ourselves, when God puts His own arrows on the 
string.^'' 

There is great comfort and help in taking this 
literally. Why ask a little when we may ask much ? 
The very next time we want to speak or write ' a 
word for Jesus ' (and of course that ought to be to- 
day)," let us ask Him to give us not merely a general 

1 I Thess. ii. 13. 2 Pg. cxix. 50. 3 Matt. iv. 4. 

* Ps. cxix. II. 5 John vi. 63. * Luke iv. 32. 

7 Isa. Iv. II. 8 I Sam. iii. 19. 9 i Kings xxii. 34. 

10 Ps. xlv. 5. 11 Heb. iii. 13. 



power of tbe mm'^ Wiot^. 63 

idea what to say, but to give us literally every single 
word, and ' they shall be withal fitted in thy lips. ' ^ 

For He will not say, * Thou hast asked a hard 
thing, '^ though it is far more than asking for the 
mantle of any prophet. He says, * Behold, I have 
put My words in thy mouth. '^ This was not for 
Jeremiah alone, for soon after we read, ' He that 
hath My word, let him speak My word faithfully ' * 
(for we must not overlook our responsibility in the 
mafter); and then follows the grand declaration of 
its power, even when spoken by feeble human lips : 
* Is not My word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and 
like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces? ' ^ 
' Behold, I will make My words in thy mouth fire. '® 

If we are not even * sufficient of ourselves to 
f/imk anything as of ourselves,'^ how much less to 
speak anything ! ' Have I now any power at all to 
say anything? The word that God putteth in my 
mouth, that shall I speak.' ^ We would rather have 
it so, ' that the excellency of the power may be of 
God, and not of us. ' ^ Our ascended King has said, 
*A11 power is given unto Me. Go ye therefore. ' ^*^ 
That is enough for me ; and ' I trust in Thy word. 

Resting on the faithfulness of Christ our Lord, 
Resting on the fulness of .His own sure word, 
Resting on His power, on His love untold. 
Resting on His covenant secured of old. 

1 Prov. xxii. i8. 2 2 Kings ii. 10. ^ Jer. i. 9. 

4 Jer. xxiii. 28. 5 Jer. xxiii. 29. ^ Jer. v. 14. 

7 2 Cor. iii. 5. 8 Num. xxii. 38. * 2 Cor. iv. 7. 

10 Matt, xxviii. 18, 19. ll Ps. cxix. 42. 



»U 



64 /KS IRfng. 



TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 



^be 1Rame of tbe Iking* 

' A King shall reign. And this is His name whereby He 
shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.' 
— Jer. xxiii. 5,6. 

WE cannot do without this most wonderful 
name. It can never be an old story to us. 
It is always a ' new name '^ in freshness and beauty 
and power. It is our daily need and our daily joy. 
For strength it is indeed ' a strong tower ; the 
righteous runneth into it, and is safe. '^ For sweet- 
ness it is ^ as ointment poured forth. '^ In it we 
see at once the highest height and the deepest 
depth ; Jehovah, God of God, Light of Light, and 
our need of a righteousness which is not our own at 
all, because we have none. We stand as upon an 
Alpine slope, face to face with the highest, grandest, 
purest summit above, and the darkest, deepest 
valley below, seeing more of the height because of 
the depth, and more of the depth because of the 
height. 

Jesus our King ' hath by inheritance obtained a 

1 Rev. iii. 12. - Prov. xviii. 10. ^ Cant. i. 3. 



IRamc of tbe "Ring. 65 

more excellent name '^ than angels, for His Father 
has given Him his own name, — ' He shall be 
called Jehovah.'^ But this alone would be too 
great, too far off for us ; it might find echoes 
among the harpings of sinless angels, but not 
among the sighings of sinful souls. And so 
the name was completed for us, by the very word 
that expresses our truest, deepest, widest, most 
perpetual need, and the Holy Ghost revealed 
the Son of God to as ' Jehovah our Righteous- 
ness.' 

Do not let us be content with theoretically un- 
derstanding and correctly holding the doctrine of 
justification by faith. Turn from the words to the 
reality, from the theory to the Person, and as a 
little, glad, wondering child, look at the simple, 
wonderful truth. That * the Righteousness of God ' 
(how magnificent !) is ' unto all and upon all them 
that believe ; '^ therefore, at this very moment, un- 
to and upon you and me, instead of our own filthy 
rags,* so that we stand clothed and beautiful ° in the 
very sight of God, now ; and Jesus can say, * Thou 
art all fair, my love,'® now I That it is not any 
finite righteousness, which might not quite cover 
the whole, — might not be quite enough to satisfy 
God's all-searching eye; not a righteousness, but 
The Righteousness of God ;^ and this no abstract 
attribute, but a Person, real, living, loving, — covering 
us with His own glorious apparel,^ representing us 
before His Father, Christ Jesus Himself * made 

1 Heb. i. 4. 2 Jer. xxiii. 6, marg. 3 Rom. iii. 22. 

4 Isa. Ixiv. 6. 5 Zech. iii. 4, 5. * Cant. iv. 7. 

^ Phil. iii. Q. 8 Isa. Ixiii. i. 



66 It^ Iking ♦ 

unto us Righteousness ! '^ This to-day and this for 
ever, for * His name shall endure for ever.'^ 

It is in His kingly capacity that this glorious 
name is given to Him. For only by ' siibmitting 
ourselves to the Righteousness of God,*^ can we 
have * the blessedness of the man unto whom God 
imputeth righteousness without works.'* There can 
be no compromise, — it must be His only or ours 
only. He must be our King, or He will not be our 
Righteousness. 



TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 



MorftiriQ witb tbe Iking* 

* There they dwelt with the king for his work.' — i Chron. 
iv. 23. 

* 'TpHERE ! ' — Not in any likely place at all, not 
A in the palace, not in ' the city of the great 
king,' '" but in about the last place one would have 
expected, * among plants and hedges.' ^ It does 
not even seem clear why they were ^ there' at all, 
for they were potters, not gardeners, — thus giving 
us the combination of simple labour of the hands, 
carried on in out-of-the-way places ; and yet they 
were dwellers with the king, and workers with 
the king. 

1 I Cor. i. 30. 2 Ps. Ixxii. 17. 3 Rom. x. 3. 

4 Rom. iv. 6. 5 Ps. xlviii. 2. 6 i Chron. iv. 23. 



'^orfting witb tbe IRlng. 67 

The lesson seems twofold, — First, thac anywhere 
and everywhere we too may dwell ' with the King 
for His work. ' We may be in a very unlikely or 
unfavourable place for this, — it may be in a literal 
country life, with little enough to be seen of the 
< goings ' ^ of the King around us ; it may be 
among hedges of all sorts, hindrances in all direc- 
tions ; it may be, furthermore, with our hands full 
of all manner of pottery for our daily task. No 
mStter ! The King who placed us ' there ' will 
come and dwell there with us ; the hedges are all 
right, or He would soon do away with them,^ and 
it does not follow that what seems to hinder our 
way ^ may not be for its very protection; and as for 
the pottery, why, that is just exactly what He has 
seen fit to put into bur hands, and therefore it is, 
for the present, ' His work.' ^ 

Secondly, that the dwelling and the working 
must go together. If we are indeed dwelling with 
the King, we shall be working for Him, too, ' as we 
have opportunity.'^ The working will be as the 
dwelling, — a settled, regular thing, whatever form 
it may take at His appointment. Nor will His work 
ever be done when we are not dwelling with Him. 
It will be our own work then, not His, and it will 
not * abide.' ^ We shall come under the condem- 
nation of the vine which was pronounced ' empty,* 
because ' he bringeth forth fruit unto himself.' ^ 

We are to dwell with the King ' for His work ;' 
but He will see to it that it shall be for a great deal 

1 Ps. Ixviii. 24. 2 Job iii. 23. 3 Matt. xxi. 33. 

^ Mark xiii. 34, 6 Gal. vi. 10. ® i Cor. iii. 14, 

7 Hos. X. I. 



68 jflB^ mUQ. 

besides,— for a great continual reward according to 
His own heart and out of His royal bounty, — for 
peace, for power, for love, for gladness, for like- 
ness to Himself. 

* Labourers together with God ! ' ^ ' workers 
together with him !'^ * the Lord working with' us ! ^ 
admitted into divine fellowship of work ! — will not 
this thought ennoble everything He gives us to do 
to-day, even if it is * among plants and hedges ' 1 
Even the pottery will be grand ! 

' Be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the 
Lord, and work, for I am with you, saith the Lord 
of hosts.'* 



TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 



^be 1?ecompen0C of tbe Mwq. 

' Why should the king recompense it me with such a 
reward ? ' — 2 Sam. xix. 36. 

BARZILLAI 'had provided the king of suste 
nance v>'hile he lay at Mahanaim,'^ exiled from 
his royal city. When the day of triumphant return 
came, David said to him, ' Come thou over with me, 
and 1 will feed thee with me in Jerusalem.' ^ This 
was the ' reward.' 

But what a privilege and delight it must have 



1 Cor. iii. 9. 22 Cor. vi. i. ^ Mark xv'i. 20. 

■* Hag, ii. 4. s 2 Sam. xix, 32. « 2 Sam. xix. 33. 



IRecompense of tbc Iking* 69 

been to the loyal old man ! And to come nearer, 
what a continual joy it must have been to the women 
who 'ministered '^ to the exiled King of heaven 
'of their substance.' How very much one would 
have liked a share in that ministry ! 

Is there any loving wish which our King does not 
meet? Was it not most thoughtful of Him to 
appoint His continual representatives, so that we 
might always and every one of us have the opportu- 
nity of ministering /o Him / These opportunities 
are wider than we sometimes think; some limit 
His ' gracious Inasmuch '^ to services for His sake 
to the poor only. Yet the 'strangers'^ whom He 
bids us love, may be rich in all but the friendliness 
and kindness which we may show them ; and the 
* sick ' may be those among our own dear ones who 
need our ministry. Why should we fancy it is only 
those who are not near and dear to us, to whom we 
may minister ' as unto Him ' ?* 

But oh, what little services are our cups of cold 
water ! ^ and how utterly ashamed we feel of ever 
having thought any of them wearying or irksome, 
when we look at ' the recompense of the reward,'^ — 
^ such a reward ! ' Is there one of us whose heart 
has not thrilled at the mere imagining of what it 
will be to hear 'the King say. Come, ye blessed ! '^ 
Then what will it be to enter into the fulness of the 
reward, to 'come over with'^ Him, and dwell with 
Him always in 'the holy Jerusalem,' and ' go no 
more out.'^ 



1 Luke viii. 3. 2 Matt. xxv. 40. ^ Deut. x. 19. 

4 Eph. vi. 7. 5 Mark ix. 41. 6 Heb. xi. 26. 

^ Matt. xxv. 34. 8 2 Sam. xix. 33. ^ Rev. xxi. 10; ib. iii. 12. 



70 /libs Iking. 

' Why should the king recompense it me with such 
a reward ? ' * Why should thy servant dwell in the 
royal city with thee? '^ For there is such a tremen- 
dous disproportion between the work and the reward, 
though such a glorious proportion between His love 
and His reward. 

And yet there is a beautiful fitness in it. The 
banquet of everlasting joy for those who gave Him 
meat f the river of His pleasures for those who gave 
Him drink ;^ the mansions in the Father's home 
for those who took the stranger in ;* the white robes 
for those who clothed the naked f the tree of life 
and ^ no more pain ' for those who visited the sick;^ 
the 'glorious liberty'^ for those who came unto the 
prisoner; the crown of all, the repeatedly promised 
* with Me'^ for those who were content to be with 
His sorrowful or suffering ones for His sake. Why 
all this? I suppose we shall keep on asking that 
for ever ! 



TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 



^bc Salvation of tbe Iking* 

• The Lord is our King; He will save us.' — IsA. xxxiii. 22. 



T 



HE thought of salvation is constantly connected 
with that of kingship. Type, illustration. 



1 1 Sam. xxvii. 5. 2 Matt, xxv. 35, etc. 8 Ps, xxxvi. 8. 

< John xiv. 2. 5 Rev. vii. 13; * Rev, xxii. 2 ; ib. xxi. 4. 

y Rom. viii, 21. 8 John xvii, 24. 



Salvation ot tbe Iking, - 71 

and prophecy combine them. * Thou shalt anoint 
him . . . that he may save my people.'^ 'By the 
hand of my servant David I will save my people.'^ 
* The king saved us. ' * A King shall reign ; in His 
days Judah shall be saved.'* 'Thy King cometh, 
. . . having salvation.'* 

Because Jesus is our Saviour, He has the right to 
be our King ; but again, because He is King, He 
is qualified to be our Saviour ; and we never know 
Him fully as Saviour till we have fully received 
Him as King. His kingship gives the strength to 
His priesthood. It is as the Royal Priest of the 
order of Melchisedec that He is 'able to save.'* 
Thus He is 'a Saviour, and a Great One,' 'mighty 
to save. ' ® 

Our King has not only ' wrought,' and 'brought,* 
and ' made known His salvation,'^ but He Himself 
zs our salvation.^ The very names seem used inter- 
changeably. Isaiah says, ' Say ye to the daughter 
of Zion, Behold, i\iY Salvation cometh;'' Zechariah 
bids her rejoice, for 'Behold, thy X/«^ cometh. ' ^° 
Again, Isaiah says, ' Mine eyes have seen th^King; ' ^^ 
and Simeon echoes, ' Mine eyes have seen thy Sa/- 
vation,^^'^ 2js> he looks upon the infant Jesus, the 
Light to lighten the Gentiles ; reminding us again 
of David's words^ 'The Lord is my light and my 
salvation. '^^ 

It is because we need salvation, because we are 

1 I Sam. ix. 16. 2 2 Sam. iii. i8 ; ib. xix. 9. 

3 Jer. xxiii. 5, 6. 4 Zech. ix. 9. 

s Heb. vii. i, 17; ib. vii. 25, ^ Isa. xix. 20; ib. Ixiii. i. 

7 Isa, Ixiii. 5. 8 Ps. xcviii. 2. ^ Isa. Ixii. 11. 

10 Zech. ix. 9. 11 Isa. vi. 5. 12 Luke ii. 30. 
13 Ps, xxvli. I. 



72 /BS^ Ikina* 

surrounded by enemies and dangers, and have no 
power to help ourselves, and have no other help or 
hope, that He says, ' I will be thy King; where is 
any other that may save thee ? ' ^ There is no other. 
'He saw that there was no man/^ and He says, 
^ There is no Saviour beside me.'^ 

What is our response? David begins a Psalm by 
saying, * Truly my soul waiteth upon God : from 
Him Cometh my salvation ; '* but he quickly raises 
the key, and sings, 'He on/y is my salvation.'^ 
Perhaps we have long been quite clear that He on/y 
is our salvation from * everlasting destruction;'*' 
but are we equally clear that He on/y is (not will be, 
but zs) our present salvation from everything from 
which we want to be saved ? — from every danger, 
from every snare,'^ from every temptation,^ from 

* the hand of a// our enemies, "* from our sins?^" In 
death we would cling to the words, ' Christ Jesus 
came into the world to save sinners. '^'^ Why not in 
life equally cling to, and equally make real use of, 
the promise, * He shall save His people from their 
sins,' ^^ — not merely from sin in general, but definitely 

* from tkez'r sins,' personal and plural sins? 'Is my 
hand shortened at all that it cannot redeem? or 
have I no power to deliver ? ' ^' 

His salvation is indeed finished. His work is per- 
fect ;^* and yet our King is still ' working salvation 
in the midst of the earth,' ^^ applying the reality of 
His salvation (if we will only believe His power) to 

1 Hos. xiii. lo. 2 Isa. lix. i6. 3 Hos. xiii. 4. 

4 Ps. Ixii. I. 6 Ps. Ixii. 2. ^ 2 Thess. i. 9. 

7 Ps. xci. 3. 82 Pet. ii. 9, ^ 2 Sam. iii, 18, 

10 Tit. ii. 14. 11 I Tim. i. 15. '2 Matt. i. 21. 

13 Isa, 1. 2. 14 Deut. xxxii. 4. 16 Ps. Ixxiv. 12. 



XLbc Iking's IbousebolD. 73 

the daily details of our pilgrimage and our warfare. 
We need it not only at last, but now — every hour, 
every minute. And the King * shall deliver the 
needy when he crieth,' ^ ' and shall save the souls of 
the needy. '^ 

May He say to your soul this day, 'I am f/iy 
salvation.'^ 

Look away to Jesus, 

Look away from all ! 
• Then we need not stumble, 

Then we shall not fall. 
From each snare that lureth. 

Foe or phantom grim, 
Safety this ensureth, 

Look away to Him ! 



THIRTIETH DAY. 



(Boob ^it)inQ0 to tbe lking'0 
1bou0ebolJ)* 

* We do not well : this day is a day of good tidings, and we 
hold our peace ; if we tarry till the morning light, some 
mischief will come upon us ; now, therefore, come, that we 
may go and tell the king's household.' — 2 Kings vii. 9. 

JUST the last persons who would seem to need 
'good tidings,'* and the last, too, who would 
seem likely to have them to convey ! But oh, how 

1 Ps.lxxii. 12. 2 Ps. Ixxii. 13. 

' Ps. XXXV. 3. • * 2 Kings vii. 3. 



74 ^18 Tking, 

true the figure is ! how many among the King's own 
household need the good tidings which these lepers 
brought ! For they are starving so near to plenty,^ 
and poor within reach of treasure/ and thinking 
themselves besieged when the Lord has dispersed 
the foe for them. Is it not often the spiritual leper, 
the conscious outcast, the famine-stricken, posses- 
sionless soul, who takes the boldest step into the 
fullest salvation, and finds deliverance and abundance 
and riches beyond what the more favoured and 
older inmate of the King's household knows any- 
thing about ? 

It may be one of the enemy's devices,^ that we 
sometimes hold back good tidings, just because we 
shrink from telling them to the King's household. 
How many who do not hesitate to speak of Jesus to 
little children or poor people, or even to persons 
who openly say, * We will not have this man to 
reign over us,'* never say one word to their fellow- 
subjects about the blessed discoveries that the Holy 
Spirit has made to them of the fulness of His 
salvation,^ and the reality of His power, and the 
treasures of His word, and the satisfaction of His 
love, and the far-reaching fulfilments of His promises, 
and the real, actual deliverance, and freedom, and 
victory, which He gives, ^ and the strength and the 
healing that flow through faith in His name !' 

Satan even perverts humility into ahinderance in 
this, and persuades us that of course our friend 
knows as much or more of this than we do, and 

^ Ps Ixxxi. 10-16. 2 I Cor. iii. 21, 22. 3 2 Cor. ii. 11. 

^ 1 nke xix. 14. 6 John xvi. 1,4, 15. ^ Rom. viii. 37. 

7 Acis iii. 16. 



XLbc Iking's IbousebolD, 75 

that telling of what we have found in Jesus, may 
seem like or lead to talking about ourselves. Yet 
perhaps all the while that friend is hungering and 
feeling besieged, while we are withholding good 
tidings of plenty and deliverance.^ Verily, ' we do 
not well.'^ Have there not been days when the 
brightest of us would have been most thankful for 
the simplest word about Jesus, from the humblest 
Christian? — days when even 'the mention of His 
name ' might have been food and freedom ! 

It does not in the least follow that members of 
Christian families need no such 'good tidings' 
because of their favoured position. They may 
need it all the more, because no one thinks it 
necessary to try and help fhem. ' As we have 
therefore opportunity, let us do good unto a// men, 
specially unto them who arc of the household of 
faith." 

And when ? The constantly recurring word 
meets us here again, ' Now ! * 

1 Prov. xi. 24-36. * James iv. 17. * Gal. vi. 10. 



76 M^ ftma^ 



THIRTY-FIRST DAY. 



^be lpro0periti? of tbe Iking* 

*A King shall reign and prosper.' — Jer. xxiii. 5. 

IF we are really interested, heart and soul, in a 
person, how delighted we are to have positive 
assurance of his prosperity, and how extremely in- 
terested and pleased we feel at hearing anything 
about it ! Is not this a test of our love to our 
King ? Are we both interested and happy in the 
short, grand, positive words which are given us 
about His certain prosperity? If so, the pulse of 
our gladness is beating through to the very heart of 
God, for ^Jehovah hath pleasure in the prosperity 
of His servant.'^ 

His prosperity is both absolute and increasing. 
Even now, ' Thy wisdom and prosperity exceedeth 
the fame that I heard. '^ If we could get one glimpse 
of our King in his present glory and joy, how we 
who love Him would rejoice for Him and with Him!* 
And if we could get one great view of the wide but 
hidden prosperity of His kingdom af this 7?io7nent, 
where would be our discouragement and faint- 

1 Ps. XXXV. 27. 2 I Kings x. 7. ^ i Pet. iii. 22. 



IProsperft^ ot tbe 1Rlng» 77 

heartedness ! Suppose 'we could see how His work 
is going on in every soul that he has redeemed out 
of every kindred and tongue all over the world/ 
with the same distinctness with which we see it in 
the last trophy of His grace for which we have been 
praising Him, would it not be a revelation of 
entirely overwhelming joy? Many Christians now- 
a-days are foregoing an immense amount of cheer, 
because they do not take the trouble to inquire, or 
rea"d, or go where they can hear about the present 
prosperity of His kingdom. Those who do not 
care much, can hardly be loving much or helping 
much. 

But we do care about it ; and so how jubilantly 
the promises of His zWr^^j/Vz^ prosperity ring out to 
us I ' He must increase.'"^ ' He must reign, till He 
hath put all enemies under his feet.'^ ' Of the in- 
crease of His government and peace there shall be 
no end.'* 

All our natural delight in progress finds satisfac- 
tion here, — no stagnation, no reaching a dead level ; 
we are on an ever-winning side, bound up with an 
ever-progressing cause. A typical light on this 
point flashes from the story of David. He ' went 
on and grew great, '^ or, as the margin has it, 'going 
and growing ; ' which we cannot forbear connect- 
ing with the promise to ourselves, * Ye shall go forth 
2iX\d grow M^.^^ And then we are told that He 
'waxed greater and greater' (marg.), 'went on 
going and increasing.^'' 

But we must not be merely on-lookers. Let us 

1 Rev. V. 9. 2 John iii. 30. 3 i Cor. xv. 25. ■* Isa. ix. 7. 
° 2 Sam. V. 10. c Mai, iv, 2. 7 i Chron. xi. 9. 



78 /IR^ Iking* 

see to it, first, that there benncreasing prosperity in 
His kingdom in our hearts. Pray that He may not 
only reign but prosper in that domain. And next, 
let us see to it that we are doing all we can to 
further His prosperity all around us. Translate our 
daily prayer, 'Thy kingdom come,'^ into daily, 
burning, glowing action for its prosperity. 

1 Matt. vi. lo, 2 Ps. xxiii. 5. '2 Sam. xix. 33. ^ Gal. iv. $. 

6 Cant. ii. 4. 6 Cant. v. 1. ^ Cant. i. i«. 



-ROYAL COMMANDMENTS 



OR 



IMORNING THOUGHTS 



FOR 



Zbc MrxQ'e Servants 



FIRST DAY. 



loving Hllegiance. 

'Master! ' — John xx. i6. 

I THINK this is the very epitome of love. Love 
understands love ; it needs no talk. Sunlight 
needs no paraphernalia of pipes, and wicks, and 
burners ; it just shines out, direct and immediate. 
And the dewdrop flashes it back in the same way. 
The sparkle may be tiny, but it is true and imme- 
diate ; it needs no vehicle. 

'I have called thee by thy name.'^ That was 
quite enough. The powerful sunshine of His love 
v/as focussed into that white beam of sevenfold 
light, and the whole soul was concentrated into the 
responsive love-flash, ' Master ! ' 

When that word has truly gone up from the soul 
to Christ, then we have felt what we can never put 
into any other words. It is the single diamond of 
soul expression,^ and we have cast it at His feet for 
ever. 

He accepts it; for how wonderfully sweetly falls 
His direct answer, * Ye call Me Master and Lord : 

1 Isa. xliii. i. 2 Ps. xvi, 2. 

(81) 



S2 IRoisal Comman&ment0. 

^nd ye say well ; for so I am.'^ Think of this seal 
of approval being set upon the name we so love to 
give Him. 'Ye say we//. ' 

He reserves it to Himself, for He says, ' One is \ 
your Master, even Christ.'^ It is sacred to Him in 
all its depths of meaning. He has put His hand 
upon our offering, claiming it as only His own f 
and now it can never be another's. 

It includes the whole attitude of soul towards 
our beloved Lord. 

1. ZoTJe. — There is a great hush; we have not 
any words at all. We cannot even tell Him we 
love Him, because we are dazzled with a glimpse of 
His love,* and overwhelmed with our unworthiness 
of it. Our eyes fill, and our bosom heaves. The 
tide has risen too high for verbal prayer or praise ; 
we have to be ' silent in love '^ — the very silejice 
being an echo of the eternal depth of calmness of 
the exceeding great love in which He rests. There 
is only one word which does not jar with the still 
music of such a moment, — ' Master ! ' 

2. Adoration. — For the breathing of the name is 
all we can do to express the unexplainable recogni- 
tion of His glory.® Already He is ' admired in all 
them that believe ''' with the admiration of aston- 
ishment. ' We praise Thee, we bless Thee, we 
worship Thee, we glorify Thee, we give thanks to 
Thee for Thy great glory.' And yet we only 
uttered the one word, * Master ! ' 

3. A//egiance. — The true utterance of it is the 

1 John xiii. 13, - Matt, xxiii. 8, 10. 3 j Sam. xxv, 35. 

■* 2 Sam. I. 26 ; Eph. iii. 19. 6 Zeph. iii. 17, margin. 

* John i. 14. 7 2 Thess. i. lo (Gr.) 



Xoving BUegiancc. 83 

very oath of allegiance. We cannot, must not, 
dare not, will not, henceforth serve 'two masters,'^ 
nor the still more subtle 'many masters.'^ The 
word has been breathed into His heart, and He 
will treasure it there, and keep it for us. It has 
been said, and the sound-waves can never be re- 
called ; they will vibrate through the universe for 
ever. God grant that no traitorous whisper may 
ever cross them ! 

4? Confidence, — We have found One whom we 
can trust implicitly, and rest upon entirely. We 
have put our lives into His hand. We have burned 
the bridge behind us, because we are quite sure He 
is the Captain of our salvation.' We have entered 
His service for ever} We have given our allegi- 
ance unreservedly, because we confide in Him 
unreservedly,^ There is no question about it. ' I 
know whom I have believed,'^ and therefore I say, 
* Master ! ' 

5. Obedience. — All a mockery without this ! 
Not only our lips, but our lives must say, ' Master ! ' 
And by His own grace they shall say it ; the name 
shall be emblazoned on every page of our lives. 
For Jesus Himself will ' make it plain ' upon our 
tablets, so 'that he may run that readeth it.'^ 
This is the test, the fruit, the manifestation of 
love.® But oh, how sweet that we may fearlessly 
say the word which pledges us to it, knowing that 
the Master Himself will enable us to fill it up with 
the practical obedience which, above all things, we 

1 Matt. vi. 24. 2 Jas. iii. i ; Isa. xxvi. 13. 3 Heb. ii. 10. 

^ Ex. xxi. 6. 61 Chron. xii. 18. * 2 Tim. i. 12. 

7 Hab. ii. 2. 8 John xiv. 15; 2 Cor. v. 14, 15. 



84 IRoigal CommanDmcntg, 

want so intensely to yield to Him ! It is like 
throwing our alpenstock up to a higher ledge of 
rock, and then giving ourselves up to the strong 
arm of the guide to draw us up after it. 

Never shall we have to say, like the Amalekite's 
servant, ' My master left me ! '^ He is our good 
Master,^ our ^ own Master'^ and He will reveal to 
His weak servants all that He means in His own 
faithful endorsement of the name* which His Spirit 
has taught us to call Him.^ 

* O Master, at Thy feet 
I bow in rapture sweet ! 
Before me, as in darkling glass, 
Some glorious outlines pass 
Of love, and truth, and holiness, and power, 
I own them Thine, O Christ, and bless Thee for this hour.' 



SECOND DAY. 



Seeftmg for Ibia Commanbmente* 

* Keep and seek for all the commandments of the Lord your 
God.' — I Chron. xxviii. 8. 

IS not this precept too often halved ? We ac- 
knowledge our obligation to keep, but what 
about seeking for 2i\\ the commandments of the Lord 
our God? Are we doing this? 

1 I Sam. XXX. 13, 2 Mark x. 17. ^ Pom. xiv. 4. 

4 John xiii, 13. 5 i Cor. xii, 3, 



SeeftitiQ 1bi6 GommanDments. 85 

* Thy commandment is exceeding broad,' ^and 
our horizon must be continually widening if He is 
making us to go in the path of His commandments.^ 
Even when, by His grace, we have been led to take 
the seven beautiful steps in that path mentioned in 
that grand gush of Bible love, the 119th Psalm, 
believing them,^ learning them, longing for them, 
loving them,* delighting in them, keeping them,* 
and not forgetting them,^ there remains yet this- 
furtRer step, seeking for all of them. 

Perhaps we have even a little shrinking from this. 
We are afraid of seeing something which might 
be peculiarly hard to keep ; it seems as if it might 
be enough to try to keep what commandments we 
have seen without seeking for still more, and as if 
seeing more to keep would only involve us in 
heavier obligations and in more failures to keep 
them. And we almost wish we had never seen this 
added command, forgetting that shedding of blood 
was needed for sin 'through ignorance.'^ But we 
have seen it, even if we never noticed it before ; it 
is shown us to-day, and we have no alternative but 
obedience or disobedience to it. 

Does not a loving child like to find out what 
its dear father wishes it to do ? does it not feel sorry 
that it did not know all he wished in time to avoid 
doing just the contrary ? How little we must love 
His will if we would rather not know it, lest \\ 
should clash with our own ! ^ Even to take the 
lowest ground, all His commandments are * for our 

1 Ps. cxix. 96. 2 Ps. cxix. 35. 3 Ps. cxix. 66. 

< Ps. cxix. 73, 131, 127. 5 Ps, cxix. 47, 115. ^ Ps. cxix. 176. 

7 Lev. iv. 27-35. 8 Ps. xl. 8. 



86 TRo^al Commandments, 

good,' ^ and *in keeping of them there is great re- 
ward ; '^ so that we are clearly missing unknown 
good or unknown reward by remaining in ignorance 
of any of them. Nay, more, ' it is your life ' ^ to 
observe to do all the words of His law. 

We need not fear being left to struggle with newly 
discovered impossibilities ; for, with the light that 
reveals a command, the grace to fulfil it will surely 
be given. It is very humbling when the Spirit's 
light flashes upon some command of our God which 
we have never * observed,' much less ^ done ; '* and 
yet it is a very gracious answer to the prayer, ' Teach 
me to do Thy will.'^ 

In reading His word, let us steadily set ourselves 
to seek for all His yet unnoticed commandments, 
noting day by day what we find ; and thus knowing 
more of His will, will be a step towards doing more 
of it. Let us not be content with vaguely praying, 
' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? ' ^ but set to 
work to see what He has already said"^ we are to do, 
and then, * Whatsoever he saith unto you, do it.'^ 

1 Deut. X. 13. 2 Ps. xix. 11. 3 Deut. xxxii. 47. 

^ Deut. xi. 32 ; xv. 5, etc. 6 Ps. cxliii. 10. ^ Acts ix, 6. 

? Hab. ii. i. ^ John ii. 5. 



1Reco0nl3ino CommanDmenta* 87 



THIRD DAY. 



IRecoQntsing 1bi0 Comman^ment0. 

'And this is His commandment.' — i JOHN iii. 23. 

WE may be quite sure of three things, — first, 
that whatever our Lord commands us, He 
really means us to do ; ^ secondly, that whatever 
He commands us is 'for our good always; '^ and, 
thirdly, that whatever He commands us, He is able 
and willing to enable us to do, for J all God's bid- 
dings are enablings.'^ 

But do we practically recognize all His command- 
ments as commandments, and the breach of any 
one of them as sin ?* As we read each precept, let 
us solemnly say to ourselves, ' This is His command- 
ment ; ' and oh, what a touchstone of guilt will it 
be ! How we shall see that what we have been 
excusing as infirmity and natural weakness which 
we could not help, and shortcomings with regard to 
impossible standards, has been all sin, transgression, 
disobedience, needing to be bitterly repented of, 
needing nothing less than blood, the precious 
blood of Christ,^ for atonement and cleansing, 

^ Deut. xii. 32. 2 Deut. vi. 24. 3 2 Cor. ix. 8, xii. 9. 

^ Ps. cxix. 4; Jas. ii. 10. 5 Heb. ix. 22. 



S8 TRogal Commandments. 

needing nothing short of Omnipotence to strengthen 
us against it. ^ 

Perhaps this is the sad secret of many a mourning 
life among God's children. They are calling sin 
by other names. ^ They think it is only natural 
temperament and infirmity, for which they are to 
claim sympathy, to go on doubting and distrusting 
their Saviour and their God ; yet '■this is His com- 
mandment, That we should believe on the name of 
His Son Jesus Christ,'^ and this, 'Trust in Him at 
all times.'* They think they are to be tenderly 
pitied for having such a burden to bear, and such 
sadness of heart ; yet this is His commandment, 
' Cast thy burden upon the Lord ; ' ^ and this, 
* Rejoice in the Lord alway.'^ They do not think 
they can exactly help their hearts being so cold that 
they do not know whether they love Him or not; 
yet this is His commandment, 'Thou shalt love the 
Lord thy God with all thy heart.'' They almost 
feel as if their state were a rather interesting one. 

Yet, oh! dear friend, if the Lord has indeed 
commanded these things, it is a state of disobe- 
dience. If He has said them. He means you to do 
them. Oh, come face to face with His word ; do 
not shrink from the terrible shock of seeing sin 
where you only thought of infirmity. It is by the 
word that He has spoken that you will be judged,^ 
not by man's excusing euphemisms. You are com- 
mitting sin in doubting Him ; you are directly 
disobedient in not trusting Him, not casting your 

1 Isa. xl. 29. 2 Heb. xii. i, 2. 3 i John iii. 23. 

■4 Ps. Ixii. 8. 5 Ps. Iv. 22. 6 Phil. iv. 4. 

' Matt. xxii. 37. 8 John xii. 48. 



TReco0m3tn0 commanoment6. 89 

burden upon Him ; not rejoicing alway in Him ; 
you are a transgressor of His ' first and great com- 
mandment '^ in not loving Him. 'Thou art become 
a transgressor of the law/ * guilty of all.' ■^ 

Oh ! if the Holy Spirit flashes the light which He 
only can flash upon these commandments, and 
shows you the sins which, child of God though you 
are, you have never yet recognized as such, you can- 
not and will not rest in them, if indeed 'the root 
of tlie matter is found '^ in you. It will wring from 
you an agony cry of 'Lord, have mercy upon me, 
and incline my heart to keep this law,' as He turns 
that terrible and yet merciful light on each. If you 
do not yet 'see it quite so strongly,' ask that 
blessed Spirit to show you, at any cost, what He 
has, sooner or later, to show you. For He will not 
show you the sin without the remedy. And never 
will the precious blood of Christ have been so 
precious to you as when, after such an entirely start- 
ling revelation of the guilt of your position of dis- 
obedience, you come, despairing of yourself, to the 
Fountain,* and find the cleansing and sanctifying 
and overcoming power of the blood of the Lamb.^ 

In that power make haste and delay not to keep 
His commandments,^ and then shall you not be 
ashamed when you have respect unto all His com- 
mandments.'' 

1 Matt. xxii. 38. - Jas. ii. 10, 11. 2 Job xix. 28. 

* I John i. 9. 6 Rev. xii. zi. * Ps. cxix. 60. 

^ Ps. cxix. 6. 



90 IRo^al Commandments. 



FOURTH DAY. 



Zhc flDean0 of (Browtb* 

• Grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ.' — 2 Pet. iii. 18. 

THE very thing we are longing to do, and 
perhaps mourning over not doing, and perhaps- 
praying every day that we may do, and seeming to 
get no answer ! But when God has annexed a means 
to the fulfilment of a command, we cannot expect 
Him to enable us to fulfil that command if we are 
not using His means. In this case the means are 
Avrapped in another command: ' Desire the sincere 
milk of the word, that ye inay grow thereby.'^ 

Real desire must prove itself by action ; it is no^ 
use desiring the milk and not drinking it. ' Where- 
fore criest thou unto Me ? speak unto the children: 
of Israel, that thty go forward. ^"^ Let us to-day, 
and every day henceforth, *go forward,' and use in 
faith and honest earnestness this His own great 
means of growth. 

By the word we shall 'grow in grace.' The 
beginning of grace in our souls was by the sam.e ^ 

1 z Pet. ii. I. 2 Ex. xiv, 15. 



for it is written, 'Of His own will begat He us 
withthe word of truth ;'^ ' Being born again, . . . 
by the word of God.''^ At every step it is the same 
word which developes the spiritual life. The young 
man shall ' cleanse his way ' by it. The entrance 
of it giveth light and understanding.^ The result 
of hiding it in our hearts is, that we ' might not sin 
against Thee;'* and how often by His word has He 
* withheld thee from sinning against Me ! '^ Again 
and'again we have said, * Thy word hath quickened 
me.'^ For it comes to us 'not in word only, but 
in power and in the Holy Ghost, and in much 
assurance.'' It is 'able to make thee wise unto 
salvation,'^ and its intended effects of reproof, 
correction, instruction in righteousness, rise to what 
would seem a climax of growth, ' that the man of 
God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto a/i 
good works. '^ And yet there is a still more glorious 
result of this ' word of God, which effectually 
worketh also in you that believe ;'^^ for by ' His 
divine power ' ' are given unto us exceeding great 
and precious promises, that by these ye might be 
partakers of the divine nature. '^^ This is indeed 
the climax, for what can rise beyond this most 
marvellous effect of this blessed means of growth 
in grace ! Oh, to use it as He would have us use it, 
so that every day we ' may grow thereby ' ! 

By the word we shall also grow in the knowledge 
of Christ. The mere surface of this is obvious. 

1 Jas. i. 18. 2 I Pet. U 23. 

3 Ps. cxix. 9; ib. cxix. 130. 4 Ps. cxix. 11. 

5 Gen. XX. 6. 6 pg, cxix. So. 7 i Thess. i. 5. 

8 2 Tim. iii. 15. 9 2 Tim. iii. 17. 10 i Thess. ii. 13. 

■U 2 Pet. i. 3 ; ib. i. a. 



92 IRoigal GommanMnents. 

For how do we come to know more of any one 
whom having not seen, we love?^ is it not by read- 
ing and hearing what he has said and written and 
done ? How are we to know more of Jesus Christ,, 
if we ^re not taking the trouble to know more of 
His word ? 

He hath said, 'Search the Scriptures; for . . . 
they are they which testify of Me.'^ Are we really 
searching, or only superficially reading, those Old 
Testament Scriptures of which He spoke? He says 
they testify of Him, i.e. tell us all about Him ; are 
we acting as if we quite believed that ? 

' Beginning at Moses and all the prophets, He 
expounded unto them in all the Scriptures the 
things concerning Himself. '^ Then there are things 
about Jesus in ^//the Scriptures — not just only in 
the Psalms and Isaiah, but in every book ! How 
very much there must be for us to find ! Let us ask 
the Holy Spirit to take of these things of Jesus and 
show them unto us,* that we may grow in * the 
knowledge of the Son of God. '^ 

* The words which I speak unto you, they are 
spirit, and they are life '^ — quickening and continu- 
ally life-giving words. We want to be permeated 
with them ; we want them to dwell in us richly,^ to 
be the inspiration of our whole lives, the very music 
of our spirits, whose melodious overflow may be 
glory to God and goodwill to man.^ Jesus Himself 
has given us this quick and powerful word of God^ 
and our responsibility is tremendous. He has told 

1 I Pet. i. 8, 2 John. v. 39. ^ Luke xxiv. 27. 

■* John xvi. 15. 5 Eph. iv. 13. ' John vi. 63. 

T Col. iii. 16. 8 Luke ii. za. 



/iRental jfooO. 93 

as distinctly what to do as to it ; He has said, 
' Search ! '^ Now, are we substituting a word of 
our own, and merely reading them ? He did not say, 
*■ Read them,' but ' Search I ''■* and it is a most serious 
thought for many a comfortable daily reader of the 
Bible, that, if they are only reading and not search- 
ing, they are distinctly living in disobedience to 
one of His plainest commands. What wonder if 
they do not ' grow thereby ' ! 

• Let me then be always growing, 

Never, never standing still, 
Listening, learning, better knowing 

Thee, and Thy most blessed will ; 
That the Master's eye may trace, 
Day by day, my growth in grace. 



FIFTH DAY. 



fBiental foob* 

* Eat ye that which is good.' — IsA. Iv. 2. 

*O0 foolish was I, and ignorant : I was as a beast 
O before Thee,'^ or this commandment would 
not have been needed. Good, wholesome, delicious 
food set plentifully before us, and yet we have to be 
told to eat that which is good, and to let rubbish 
and poison alone ! Is it not humiliating? 

1 John V. 39. 2 isa, xxxiv. 16. 8 Ps. Ixiii. 33. 

7 



94 TRo^al aommanDmcnts. 

We know too much about feeding on that which 
is not good, and what profit had we in those things 
whereof we are now ashamed?^ The Lord has had 
to testify of us, ' He feedeth on ashes, '^ ' feedeth on 
wind,"* 'feedeth on foolishness.'* Most gracious 
was His decree, ' They shall eat, and not have 
enough;'^ ' Thou shalt eat, but not be satisfied.'^ 
He would not let us be satisfied. And now, if we 
have tasted that the Lord is gracious,^ we cannot be 
satisfied with the old ashes and wind. 

But what about our daily practical obedience to 
this command ? How much are we going to eat to- 
day of that which is good, in proportion to that 
which satisfieth not? Will it be a question of 
minutes for the word by which we live,^ and hours 
for books which are at best negative as to spiritual 
nutriment? What is our present obedience to the 
parallel command, ' Desire the sincere milk of the 
word, that ye may grow thereby' ?^ What about 
our appetite for the 'strong meat,'^" 'the deep 
things of God ' ?" If other books contain ' neces- 
sary food '^^ mentally, and we are called to use them, 
so that by study of His works, His providences nat- 
ural, mental, moral, we may be more meet for the 
Master's use,^^ do we practically and consciously 
esteem the words of His mouth more? Can we say, 
they are ' in my mouth as honey for sweetness' ?^* 

But perhaps we are even purposing to eat that 
which is «^/good. We may argue that there is no 



1 Rom. vi. 21, 2 Isa. xliv. .20. 3 pjos. xii. i. 

* Prov, XV. 14. 6 Hos. iv. 10. ' Mic. vi. 14. 

7 I Pet. ii. 3. 8 Matt. iv. 4. 9 1 Pet. ii. 2. 

10 Heb. V. 12, 14. 11 I Cor. ii. 10. 12 Job xxiii. is 

*• 2 Tim. ii. 21. l^ Ezek. iii. 3. 



iRcntal jfooD. 95 

harm in certain readings, and that if we don't read 
what others do we shall get narrow and lose con- 
versational influence, and that people will think 
nothing of our opinion if we can't say we have read 
such and such books, and so forth.. But all the 
time, do we not know, down in our heart of hearts, 
that this is all sophistry ? ^ We know, though we 
do not like to acknowledge, that the books in 
question do blunt our spiritual appetite and hinder 
our-close communion with Jesus ; that the influence 
we profess to want is not purely desired ' for Jesus' 
sake only,'^ and to be used ' alliox Jesus,' — in short, 
we like the reading, and we do not want to resist 
pleasing ourselves,^ And so we deliberately disobey 
the command to eat that which is good, excusing 
ourselves by pretending that we ^ saw that the tree 
was good for food,'* when the truth was that we 
simply saw that it was 'pleasant.' 

We are solemnly responsible for the mental in- 
fluences under which we place ourselves. ' Take 
heed what ye hear '^ must include ' take heed what 
ye read.' * Lead us not into temptation ' is 'vain 
repetition '® when we walk straight away into it, 
hoodwinking our own eyes because we are drawn 
away and enticed by our own desires.'^ 

Do we feel that we are not strong enough to re- 
sist ? * The way of the Lord is strength to the 
upright; '® and His ' way to escape ' is, ' Eat ye 
that which is good. '^ Perhaps if Eve had fully 
availed herself of God's permission, * Thou mayst 

1 Job xiii. 7 2 John xii. 9. 3 Rom. xv. 1-3. 

* ^ea, iji. 6. 5 Mark iv, 24. « Matt. vi. 7, 13. 

' Jasr \ i^. 8 Prov. X. 29. * i Cor. x. 13. 



g6 IRogal Commandments. 

freely eat,*^ she would not have been so ready to 
disregard His prohibition. If we ' eat in plenty'^ 
of ' angels' food,'^ of course we shall not care about 
the 'onions and the garlick.'* Just fancy wanting 
/Aem ! When we are ' satisfied, ' of course, there 
is no craving.^ 

The devil is very fond of persuading us that we 
have- ' no leisure so much as to eat '^ when it is a 
question of Bible study. He never says that if we 
have a novel '■ of the earth, earthy, '^ or a clever 
magazine of ' modern thought ' on hand ! He 
knows better. He wants us not to ' let' our souls 
delight themselves in fatness. 

Jesus, our Wisdom, says, '■ Come, eat of My 
bread ; '^ * Eat, O friends.'^ One is utterly 
ashamed that it should ever be an effort to obey 
this loving invitation. How weak we are ! But 
His hand touches us, and He says, 'Arise, and eat.'^° 
May He open our eyes to see and rejoice in the pro- 
vision so close beside us, the feast that He has made 
for us. 

Not only His word, but the happy doing of His 
will ^^ shall be our meat, and we shall ' afterward eat 
of the holy things, because it is His food.'^^ He 
will give us to eat of the tree of life and of the 
hidden manna. ^^ And He will give us Himself, the 
living Bread which came down from heaven, saying, 
' He that eateth Me, even he shall live by Me.'" Is 
not this enough ? 

1 Gen. ii. i6. 2 Joel ii. 26. 3 Ps. Ixxviii. 25. 

<Num. xi. 5. 5 Jer. xxxi. 14. 6 Mark vi. 31. 

^ I Cor. XV. 47. 8 Prov. ix. 5. 9 Cant. v. i. 

10 I Kings xix. 5. " |ohn iv.34. 12 Lev. xxii. 7. 

i3 Rev. ii. 7, 17. 14 John vi. 51, 57. 



G;bc ^ransferreD JSucDcn. 97 



SIXTH DAY. 



* If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine 
away in them, how should we then hve?' — Ezek.' xxxiii. lo. 

IF they are upon us, how can we live? For 
*mine iniquities are . . . as an heavy burden, 
they are too heavy for me.'^ ' The burden of them 
is intolerable.' It is not the sense, but the burden 
itself which cannot be borne; no one could \it^x 
his own iniquities without being sunk lower and 
lower, and at last to hell by it. It is only not felt 
when the very elasticity of sin within us keeps us 
from feeling the weight of the sin upon us ; as the 
very air in our bodies prevents our feeling the 
otherwise crushing weight of the atmosphere with 
its tons upon every inch. Or (thank God for the 
alternative !) when the whole burden, our abso- 
lutely intolerable burden, is known to be laid upon 
another. 

If this burden is upon us, we cannot walk in 
newness of life,^ we cannot run in the way of His 
commandments,^ we cannot arise and shine.* The 

1 Ps. xxxviii. 4. 2 Rom. vi. 4. 

' Ps. cxix. 32. 4 Isa. Ix. I. 



98 IRo^al Commandments. 

burden is * too heavy ' for these manifestations of 
life ; we do but ' pine away ' in our sins, whether 
consciously or unconsciously ; and the sentence is 
upon us, They shall * consume away for their in- 
iquity.'^ For there is no curse so terrible and far- 
reaching as, ' He shall bear his iniquity.'^ 

'If ! ' but is it? It is written, 'The Lord hath 
laid on Him the iniquity of us all.'^ On Jesus it 
has been laid, on Him who alone could bear the 
intolerable burden ;* therefore it is not upon His 
justified ones who accept Him as their sinbearer. 

This burden is never divided. He took it all, 
every item, every detail of it. The scapegoat bore 
*upon him all their iniquities.'^ Think of every 
separate sin, each that has weighed down our con- 
science, every separate transgression of our most 
careless moments, added to the unknown weight of 
all the unknown or forgotten sins of our whole life, 
and all this laid on Jesus instead of upon us ! The 
sins of a day are often a burden indeed, but we are 
told in another type, ' I have laid upon thee the 
years of their iniquity.'^ Think of the years of 
our iniquity being upon Jesus ! Multiply this by 
the unknown but equally intolerable sin-burdens of 
all His people, and remember that ' the Lord hath 
laid on Him the iniquity of us ^//,'^ and then think 
what the strength of His enduring love must be 
which thus bare ' the sins of many.'' ^ 

Think of His bearing them ' in His own body 
on the tree, '^ in that flesh and blood of which He 



1 Ezek. iv. 17. 2 Lev. v. 17. 3 Jsa. liii. 6. 

4 Isa. liii. II. 6 Lev, xvi. 22. * Ezek. iv. 5. 

7 Isa. liii. 6. 8 Heb. ix. 28. » i Pet. ii. 24. 



Zbc ITransterreD 3SurDem 99 

took part, with all its sensitiveness and weakness, 
because He would be made like unto His brethren 
in all things;^ and that this bearing was entirely 
suffering (for He ' suffered for sins '^), and praise 
the love which has not left * our sins . . . upon us.' 

We cannot lay them upon Him ; Jehovah has 
done that already, and ' His work is perfect : '^ 
' nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from 
it.'* 'The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of 
us all; '^ 'He hath done this.'*^ We have only to 
look up and see our Great High Priest bearing the 
iniquity of our holy things for us -^ to put it still 
more simply, we have only to believe that the Lord 
has really done what He says He has done.^ 

Can we doubt the Father's love to us, when we 
chink wiiat it must have cost Him to lay that crush- 
ing weight on His dear Son, sparing Him not,^ 
that He might spare us instead ?^° The Son accepted 
the awful burden, but it was the Father's hand 
which ' laid it upon ' Him.^^ It was death to Him, 
that there mi^^ht be life to us. For 'if our trans- 
gressions and our sins ' were upon us, there could 
be no answer to the question, ' How should we 
then live?' for we could only 'pine away in them ' 
and die. * Ye shall die in your sins.'^^ But being 
'laid on Him,'^^ how shall we now live? ' He died 
for all, that they which live should not henceforth 
live unto themselves, but unto Him which died for 
them and rose again. '^* Unto Him,^^ by Him,^^ 

1 Heb. ii. 14, 17. 2 i Pet. iii. 18. 3 Deut. xxxii. 4. 

■* Eccles. iii. 14. 5 Tsa. liii. 6. 6 Pg xxii. 31. 

"^ Ex. xxviii. 38. 8 Isa. j^liv. 23. ^ Rom. viii. 32. 

10 Mai. iii. 17. u i Pet. ii. 24. 12 John viii. 24. 

^3 2 Cor. V. 15. w Rom. xiv. 8. i* Gal. ii. 20. 16 Phil. i. 21 



lOo IRoi^al CommanDments. 

in Him/ for Him, now; and with Him/ where He 
is, for ever and ever ! 

On Thee, the Lord 

My mighty sins hath laid; 
And against Thee Jehovah's sword 

Flashed forth its fiery blade. 
The stroke of justice fell on Thee, 
That it might never fall on me. 



SEVENTH DAY. 



Zhc IRecall. 

*0 Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast 
fallen by thine iniquity.' — Hos. xiv. i. 

THANK God that He does not let His children 
go on comfortably when they wander and 
fall !^ 

Have we not known (God grant we may never 
again know!) a wretched mental nausea, a sense of 
discomfort and restlessness, a misgiving that some- 
thing is wrong, though we can't say what? no 
actual pain, no acute attack of anything, but a 
nameless uncomfortableness, most easily described 
by a negative, that we are no^ ' as in months past.'* 

^ If this is the present state of any reader, do let 

1 John xvii. 24. 2 i Thess. iv. 17. 3 Hos. ii. 6- 

8 Job xxix. 2, 4 Job XV. 11, la. 



xnyc IRecalL loi 

me most earnestly and affectionately entreat you 
not to remain one day — no, not one hour — in this 
most dangerous state, the beginning of back-slid- 
ing, and already a fall from your ' own steadfastness' 
and your * first love.'^ ^Remember from whence 
thou art fallen ; "^ look unflinchingly at your posi- 
tion, and recognize frankly the difference between 
to-day, and the past days of closer walking and 
happy abiding. Do not let yoir-self drift on, or 
yT)u 'will revolt more and more' till * the whole 
head is sick, and the whole heart faint. '^ Every 
day's delay will make your case worse. 

Do not shrink from asking Him to show you how 
and whv it is that you have fallen. The ' beautiful 
crown '* which He put ' upon thine head ' in * the 
time of love,'^ would not have ^fallen from our 
head,' but 'that we have sinned.'^ It is 'by /h'n^ 
iniquity' that ' thou art fallen,'^ — iniquity personal 
and real, though very likely ungnessed by any one, 
and hidden even from thine own eyes. 

Perhaps the knowledge of this is already sent ; if 
so, listen ! ' And I said, a/ifer she had done all 
these things. Turn thou unto me.'® And again, 
though you may have gone after other ' lovers,' 'yef 
return again to me, saith the Lord.'^ Oh forsake 
the thoughts as well as the way, and return unto 
the Lord, and he will abundantly pardon.^*' For 
when * He showeth them their work and their 
transgressions,' He also ' commandeth that they 
return from iniquity. '^^ 

1 2 Pet. iii. 17. 2 Rev, ii. 4, 5. 3 Isa. i. 5. 

4 Ezek. xvi. 12, 5 Ezek xvi. 8. 6 Lam. v. 16. 

7 Hos. xiv. I. 8 Jer. iii. 7. Jer. iii. i. 

10 Isa. Iv. 7. 1^ Job XXX vi. 9, 10. 



TO 2 "Ro^al Commandments* 

And why? Five infinitely gracious reasons are 
given. 'Return! . . .for thou hast fallen by 
thine iniquity ; '^ the very thing which seemed the 
barrier to return ! ' Return ! . . .for I am merci- 
ful, saith the Lord.'* * Return ! . . .for I have 
redeemed thee.'^ 'Return! . . .for the Lord 
hath dealt bountifully with thee.'* ' Come, and let 
us return unto the Lord : for He hath torn, and He 
will heal us. '^ All these gracious words for you! 
and the Lord Himself waiting that He may be 
gracious !^ Will you keep Him waiting till a more 
' convenient season ' ?^ 

To whom are you called to return ? Ah ! think 
of that — not to a state or position merely ; not 
only 'to thy rest,' ^ but to 'the Lord thy God,'* 
thy God, 'our own God;'^" to Him who has 
betrothed you unto Him for ever;" to Him who 
chose you unto Himself to be His peculiar 
treasure ;^'^ to Him -who remembers better than you 
do from whence you have fallen. Hear Him say- 
ing, ' I remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, 
the love of thine espousals. '^^ ' How shall I give 
thee up ? '" What pathetic yearning this is over 
you, even you ! Will you not say, ' I will go and 
return to my first husband ; for then was it better 
with me than now.'^^ 

Is intention enough in this matter ? Listen again 
to the arousing words of your Lord, ' If thou wilt 
return, . . . saith the Lord, return unto Me ; '^^ 

1 Hos. xiv. I. 2 Jer. iii. 12. 3 Isa. xliv. 22. 

* Ps. cxvi. 7. 5 Hos. vi. i. 6 Isa. xxx. 18. 

f Acts xxiv. 25. 8 Ps. cxvi. 7. ' Hos. xiv. i. 

10 Ps. Ixvii. 6. 11 Hos. ii. 19. 12 Ps. cxxxv. 4. 

H Jer. ii. 2. M Hos. xi. 8. is Hos. ii. 7. le Jer iv. i. 



Zbc IRecall. 103 

m other words, * Now, then, do it.'^ Stay no more 
at being willing to return, but * Return ye NOVVl'^ 
It will be harder to-morrow — nay, harder an hour 
hence than now. He who first caused you to 
approach,^ will cause you to return ;* so you shall 
not be left unaided, for ' In Me is thine help '° even 
for returning from self-destruction.^ 

And then — oh, what wealth of promises to the 
r«turning one ! what robes and rings and heavenly 
music !^ ' If thou return, . . . thou shalt be built 
up, thou shalt put away iniquity . . . ; then shalt 
thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt 
lift up thy face unto God.® . . . He shall hear 
thee, . . . Thou shalt decree a thing, and it shall 
be established unto thee : the light shall shine upon 
thy ways.' For He hath said, 'I will heal their 
backsliding, I will love them freely.' ^ 

Return ! 
O fallen ; yet not lost ! 
Canst thou forget the life for thee laid down, 
The taunts, the scourging, and the thorny crown ? 
"When o'er thee first my spotless robe I spread 
And poured the oil of joy upon thy head, 
How did thy wakening heart within thee burn ! 
Canst thou remember all, and wilt thou not return ? 
^ ■ ■ ■ ■ 

1 2 Sam. iii. i8. ^ Jer. xviii. ii. 3 Ps. Ixv. 4. 

* Jer. XXX. 3. 5 Hos. xiii. 9. 6 Lam. v. 31. 

^ Luke XV. 22, »5. 8 job xxii, 23-28. ^ Hos. xiv. 4. 



104 TRoi^al CommanDment0. 



EIGHTH DAY. 



^be ConMtione of Effectual prai^er* 

'And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, 
ye shall receive.' — Matt. xxi. 22. 

HAVE we not sometimes been tempted to think 
that here, at least, is a case in which our Lord 
has not literally and always kept His word? in which 
we do not get quite so much as the plain English 
of the promise might lead us to expect? If so, well 
may He say to us, ' Do ye not therefore err, because 
ye know not the Scriptures, neither the power of 
God ? ' ^ If we had known the Scriptures by search- 
ing, we might have known more of the power of 
God by experience in this matter. For this is no 
unconditional promise; this marvellous * whatso- 
ever' depends upon five great conditions; and, if 
we honestly examine, we shall find that every case 
of seeming failure in the promise can be accounted 
for by our own failure in one or more of these. 

I. 'Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that 
will I do.'^ Really, not verbally only, in the nam« 
of Jesus ; asking not in our own name at all ; sign- 

1 Mark xii. 24. 2 John xiv. 13 ; ib. xiv. 6. 



jEffectual iPra^er. 105 

ing our petition, as it were, with His name only;^ 
coming to the Father by our Advocate, our Repre- 
sentative.'^ Do we always ask thus? 

2. ^Believing, ye shall receive." The faith- 
heroes of old ' through faith . . . obtained prom- 
ises,'* and there is no new way of obtaining them. 
Is it any wonder that, when we stagger at any 
promise of God through unbelief,^ we do not receive 
it> Not that the faith merits the answer, or in any 
way earns it or works it out, but God has made 
believing a condition of receiving, and the Giver 
has a sovereign right to choose His own terms of 
gift. 

3. ^If ye abide in Me, and My words abide tn 
you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done 
unto you. ' ^ Ah ! here is a deeper secret of asking 
and not having, because we ask amiss.' Not, have 
we come to Christ? but, are we abiding in Him? — 
not, do we hear His words? but, are they abiding 
in us? Can we put in this claim to the glorious 
'whatsoever'? And, if not, why not? for Hhis is 
His commandment,' * Abide in Me.'^ And this 
leads us to see the root of our failure in another 
condition, for, — 

4. * Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, 
because we keep His commandments, and do those 
things that are pleasing in His sight.'' ^ Only as we 
are abiding in Him can we bring forth the fruit of 
obedience, for without (/. e. apart from) Him we 
can do nothing;^® only in walking by faith can we 

1 Phil. ii. 10 (Gr.) 2 i John ii. i. 3 Matt. xxi. 22. 

^ Heb. xi. 33. 6 Rom. iv. 20. * John xv. 7. 

' Jas. iv. 3. 8 John xv. 4. / 

• I John iii. 22 ; Ps. Ixvi. 18. 10 John xv. 4. 



io6 "Rosal CommanDmcnt6. 

do those things that are pleasing in His sight/ for 
without faith it is impossible to please Hira.^ 

5 . ' If we ask anything according to His will, He 
heareth us.'^ When what we ask is founded on a 
promise or any written evidence of what the will of 
the Lord is,* this is comfortingly clear. But what 
about petitions which may or may not be according 
to His will? Surely, then, the condition can only 
be fulfilled by a complete blending of our own will 
with His ; ^ by His so taking our will, so undertaking 
it and influencing it for us, that we are led to desire 
and ask the very thing He is purposing to give. 
Then, of course, our prayer is answered ; and the 
very pressure of spirit to pray becomes the pledge 
and earnest of the answer, for it is the working of 
His will in us. 

Two comforting thoughts arise. 

First, the very consciousness of our failure in 
these great conditions shows us the wonderful kind- 
ness and mercy of our King, who has answered so 
many a prayer in spite of it, according to His own 
heart, and not according to our fulfilment, giving 
us 'of His royal bounty'® that to which we had 
forfeited all shadow of claim. 

Secondly, that He who knoweth our frame ^ 
knows also the possibilities of His grace, and would 
never tantalize us by offering magnificent gifts on 
impossible conditions. 'Will he give him a stone ?'^ 
Would an earthly parent? Would _y^w.? Therefore 
the very annexing of these intrinsically most blessed 

1 2 Cor, V. 7. 2 Heb. xi. 6. 3 i John v. 14. 

< Eph. V. 17. 6 Phil. ii. 13. 6 i Kings x. 13. 

7 Ps. ciii. 14 J Phil. iv. 13. 8 Luke xi. 11. 



IPrivilege ot fnterccsslon, 107 

conditions implies that His grace is sufficient^ for 
their fulfilment, and should lure us on to a blessed 
life of faith, abiding in Jesus,^ walking in obedience 
'unto all pleasing,'^ and a will possessed by His 
own divine will. 

Thou art coming to a King, 
Large petitions with thee bring ; 
For His grace and power are such, 
None can ever ask too much. 

Newton. 



NINTH DAY. 



^be privilege of IFnterceesion* 

* Pray one for another.' — J^^s. v. 1 6. 

HERE our divine Master takes up an impulse of 
natural affection,* raising it to the dignity of a 
' royal commandment,'^ and broadening it to the 
measure of His own perpetual intercession.* For, 
unless a heart has reached the terrible hardening of 
being 'without natural affection ' ^ as well as 'with- 
out God,' ^ it must want to pray for those it loves. 
The Lord would sanctify and enlarge this impulse, 
making it 'full of the blessing of the Lord.* * It is 
a plant which He hath planted in the human heart, 

^ 2 Cor. xii. 9. 2 I John ii. 27. ' Col. i. 10. 

< Esther i. 19. 5 i Tim. ii. i. * Hcb. vii. 25. 

' Rom. i. 31. 8 Eph. ii. 12. 9 Deut. xxxiii. 23. 



io8 IRo^al CommanDment6» 

and therefore it shall not be rooted up, but He will 
water and increase it. ^ What are the indications 
of His will in the matter, and how far are we 
following them out ? 

First, are we asking for each other the special 
thing annexed to the command ? ' That ye may be 
healed.' ^ Prayer for physical healing is clearly in- 
cluded.^ How many around us are not spiritually 
healed ! are we definitely asking this for them ? Of 
how many of His own people is the Lord saying, 
' They knew not that I healed them ! ' * Not ' know- 
ing what was done in ' them,^ they are not witnessing 
to the power of the Healer ; not seeing, like the 
Samaritan, that they were healed, they are not 
giving Him thanks.^ Are we asking that they may 
realize the healing, so that they may glorify the 
Healer?^ 

We maybe greatly ' helping together by prayer,' ' 
by agreement in intercession.^ The very fact of 
having ' agreed ' ^° is a great stimulus and reminder. 
It is the Lord's own indicated way. ' Two of you.'" 
It took two to hold up Moses' hands steadily. ^^ 
When he let down one hand, Amalek prevailed. So 
Aaron and Hur were both wanted. ^^ 

Intercession should be definite and detailed. 
Vagueness is lifelessness. St. Paul besought the 
Romans to pray for him, and then told them exactly 
what he wanted, four definite petitions to be pre- 
sented for him.^* It is a help to reality of inter- 

1 Matt. XV. 13. 2 Jas. v. 16. 3 Gen. xx. 17. 

4 Hos. xi. 3. 5 Mark v. 29, 33. 6 Luke xvii. 15. 

"^ Ps. ciii. 1-3. 8 2 Cor. i. 11. 9 Dan. ii. 17, 18. 

10 Esther iv. 16. n Matt, xviii. 19. 12 Eccles. iv. 9. 

18 Ex, xvii. II, 12. 14 Rom. xv. 30, 32. 



privilege ot irntercesBion. 109 

cession when ministers or other workers who ask our 
prayers will tell us exactly what they want. General 
prayers for ' blessing ' are apt to become formal. 

We must not yield to the idea that, because we 
are feeble members, doing no great work, our prayers 
* won't make much difference.' ^ It may be that 
this is the very reason why the Lord keeps us in the 
shade, because He hath need of us^ (though we 
feel no better than an ' ass's colt ' ^) for the work of 
inteTcession, Many of us only learn to realize the 
privilege of being called to this by being called 
apart from all other work. When this is the case, 
let us simply and faithfully do it, 'lifting up holy 
hands, without wrath and doubting,'* blessing His 
name who provides this holy and beautiful service 
for those who ' by night stand in the house of the 
Lord!^ See how wonderfully St. Paul valued the 
prayers of others. He distinctly expresses this to 
every Church but one to whom he wrote. Would 
he liave asked their prayers so fervently if he thought 
it would not ' make much difference ' ? 

Intercession is a wonderful help to forgiveness of 
injuries. See how the personal unkindness of 
brother and sister stirred up Moses to pray for each ; * 
and how repeatedly the wrong feeling, speaking, and 
acting of the people against himself was made the 
occasion of prayer for them.'^ Let us avail our- 
selves of this secret of his meekness. Also it is an 
immense help to love. Do we not find that the 
more we pray for any one, the more we love? 

1 I Cor. xii. 22. 2 Mark xi. 2, 3. 3 Job xi. 12. 

< 1 Tim. ii. 8. 5 Ps. cxxxiv. i. 

* Num. xii. 2, 13; Deut. ix. 18-20. 

T Num. xiv. 2, 19 ; ib. xvi. 19, 22 ; ib. xii. 3. 

8 



no IRoi^al Commandments. 

Let us intercede ' while we have time.'* 'The 
night coraeth, when no man can work.''^ Those 
for whom we might be praying to-day may be be- 
yond the reach of prayer to-morrow. Or our own 
day of prayer m.ay have passed ; for the only in- 
tercession that v/e have ever heard from the other 
side was in vain — never granted.^ 

It is considerable practical help if we make our 
intercession systematic, especially if the Lord gives 
us many to pray for. If every day has its written 
list of special names to be remembered, we shall be 
less likely to forget or drop them. Each several 
name was engraved on the breastplate of the high- 
priest, that it might be borne upon his heart con- 
tinually.* 

See the two-fold rewards of intercessory prayer. 

First J blessing for others : 

' He shall ask, and He shall give him life for 
them that sin not unto death.' ^ Compare St. Paul's 
prayers for the Thessalonians, in his First Epistle, 
with the exact and abounding answers for which he 
gives thanks in the Second, after a very short inter- 
val. 

Secondly, blessing for ourselves : 

' The Lord turned the captivity of Job, when he 
prayed for his friends.' ^ Something very like a 
turning of our captivity is granted '' when, amid 
oppression and darkness, we pray for our friends. 
Often it is like a leap into the free sunshine. ' Pray 
unto the Lord for it ' (the city whither they were 

1 Gal. vi. lo (old translation). 2 John ix. 4. ' Luke xvii. 27-31. 

4 Ex. xxviii. 21, 29, 6 I John v. 16. 6 Job. xlii «o. 

' Ps. cxxvi. 1-3. 



^ruatin^ tn 2)ar!ine66. 1 1 1 

carried away), '■ for in the peace thereof shall ye 
have peace.' ^ Specially true is it in this, that *he 
that watereth shall be watered also himself. ' ^ 

' O Saviour Christ, their woes dispel ; 

For some are sick, and some are sad, 
And some have never loved Thee well, 

And some have lost the love they had. 

And some are pressed with worldly care, 
^ And some are tired with sinful doubt, 

And some such grievous passions tear 
That only thou canst cast them out. 

And some have found the world is vain. 
Yet from the world they break not free ; 

And some have friends that give them pain. 
Yet have not sought a friend in Thee.' 

Henry Twells. 



TENTH DAY. 



^ruating in Barftneaa^ 

* Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the 
voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no 
light? let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay himself 
upon His God.' — ISA. 1. lo. 

BEFORE we take this peace and strength-giving 
precept, with its enfolded promise, to ourselves, 
let us examine ourselves as to the conditions : fear 

1 Jer, xxix. 7. 2 Prov, xi. 25. 



112 IRoisal Comman^mentg. 

of the Lordj and obedience to the voice of His 
servant. They are very clear. If we are not 
casting off fear ; ^ if we have this ^ beginning of 
wisdom,'^ this perhaps not sufficiently recognized 
' treasure/^ the fear of the Lord;* and if we have 
sincerity of purpose about obeying the vdice of His 
servant,^ and are not persisting in some known and 
wilful disobedience/ which causes a different kind 
of darkness, the darkness that blindeth our eyes,^ 
then we are called to listen to all the comfort of 
this commandment. 

'Let him trust in the name of the Lord.' What 
name? ' The Lord, the Lord God, merciful and 
gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness 
and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving 
iniquity and transgression and sin.' ^ What name? 
' Wonderful, Counsellor, the Mighty God, the 
Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace.' ^ What 
name? Just this, JESUS l^" But how can we trust 
in what we do not much consider ?" Trust needs 
a very broad and strong foundation for its repose ; 
it cannot poise itself on an inverted pyramid. But 
if we walk about that foundation, and go round 
about it, and mark well the bulwarks,^^ we shall put 
ourselves in the way of realizing what reason we 
have to trust. ^^ 

Is it dark now, dear friend ? Will you, as a little 
child, simply do what I ask you this morning ? 
Take this Name of the Lord,^* in all its varied ful- 



1 Job XV. 4. 2 Ps_ cxi. 10. 5 Isa. xxxiii. 6. 

^ Ps. cxix. 69, 6 Josh. xxiv. 24. ^ John iii. 20. 

^ I John ii. II. 8 Kx. xxxiv. 6. 7. 9 Isa. ix. 6. 

10 Matt. i. 21. 11 Ps ix. 10; ib. cxix. 55. 

12 Ps. xlviii. 12, 13. 13 Prov. xviii. 10. 14 Pg. xx. 7. 



ZtnetirxQ in Darfiness. 113 

ness, *shut thy door,'^ and kneel down without 
hurry. Then, asking first the Spirit's promised 
help,^ pray over every separate part of it as so beau- 
tifully revealed for our comfort. And as you take 
up each word in petition, tell the Lord that you 
wi7/, you do trust that, even though you cannot see 
or feel all the preciousness of it.^ 

Trusting in the name of the Lord, the Triune 
Jehovah — Father, Saviour, Comforter — will lead 
you on, not perhaps to any great radiance of light 
as yet, but to staying upon your God ; for mark 
the added pronoun, first only ' fAe Lord,' then ' Ais 
God.' Both the trusting and staying may be at 
first in the dark, but they will not be always in the 
dark. He that believeth on Him shall not abidein 
darkness. * Unto him ' there ariseth light in the 
darkness.'^ But the promises are progressive: we 
must follow the light as soon as we see it, for *he 
that foUoweth me shall not walk in darkness.'^ 

But, meanwhile, even the trusting and staying^ 
shall be blessed, for ' blessed are they that have not 
seen, and yet have believed.' ^ ' Blessed are all they 
that put their trust in Him ; ' ^ and ' all ' of course 
includes you. There may be very much unconscious 
blessing apart from sensible light and joy.^ The 
visible, light-bearing rays of the spectrum are not 
the whole beam. It is not they which make the 
plant grow ; it is the dark rays with their mysterious, 
unseen vibrations that bring heat and chemical 
power. 

1 Matt. vi. 6. 2 Rom. viii. 26; Zech. xii. 10. 

3 Isa. xii. 2 ; Ps. xci. 2 ; xxxi. i ; Cant. i. 3. * John xii. 46. 
5 Ps. cxii. 4. ^ John viii. 12. ^ John xx. 29. 

8 Ps. ii. 12. 9 Ps. xxiii. 4. 



114 TRoisal CommanDmcnts, 

The first conscious blessing is not linked with 
even the trust, but with the ' staying ' ^ which grows 
out of it. ' Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, 
whose mind is stayed on Thee : because he trusteth 
in Thee.'^ Then, again, the staying, and the cer- 
tainly resulting, because absolutely promised, peace 
lead on to fuller and more settled trust : ' Trust ye 
in the Lord for ever.'^ 

How we do love a little child that nestles up to 
us from its cot in a dark room, and kisses the hand 
that it cannot see, -and pours out all sorts of little 
confidences which it did not tell in the broad day- 
light ! Do we not fondle it with a special gush of 
affection ? However much we loved the little thing 
before, we think we love it more than ever ! When 
the Father's little children come to Him in the 
dark, and simply believe His assurance that He is 
there, although they cannot see/ will He be less 
loving, less kind and tender ? 

♦ I cannot hear Thy voice, Lord, 

But Thou dost hear my cry ; 
I cling to thine assurance 

That Thou art ever nigh. 
I know that Thou art faithful ; 

I trust, but cannot see 
That it is still the right way 

By which Thou leadest me.' 

1 Jer. xvii. 7. 2 isa. xxvi. 3. 3 Isa. xxvi. 4. 

* John XX. 29 ; Ps. xxxiii. 21, 



3fear IRot 115 



ELEVENTH DAY. 



fear IRot* 

* Fear not,' — Luke xii. 32, etc. 

THERE need be no difficulty in distinguishing^ 
between the holy and blessed ' fear of the 
Lord,' ^ which is our ' treasure/ and which is only 
as the sacred shadow cast by the brightest light of 
love and joy, and the fear which ^ hath torment,'^ 
and is cast out by perfect love and simple trust. 

* Fear Him, ye saints, and you will then 
Have nothing else to fear ! ' 

precisely expresses the distinction. 

But it is a very solemn thought how * verily 
guilty' ' we are as to this most absolute command 
of our King, reiterated by messengers angelic and 
human, and by His own personal voice, perhaps 
more often than any other. No wonder that we are 
left to suffer the fruit of our own thoughts when we 
do not even see our disobedience, much less cease 
from it. ' Fear NOT.' There is no quahfication, 
no exception, no modification ; it is as plain a com- 

1 Isa. xxxiii. 6; Acts ix. 31. 2 j John iv. 18. 

' Gen. xlii. 21. 



ii6 IRoisal Comman&ment0. 

mand as, 'Thou shalt not steal.' ^ What excuse 
have we for daring to regard it as a less transgression, 
or even no transgression at all? If the heinousness 
of a crime might, to human judgment, be measured 
by its penalty, what must the true heinousness of 
this everyday sin be when God hath said, ^ The^tjr- 
Z^;^/ shall have their part in the lake which burneth 
with fire and brimstone ! ' ^ 

Why should what seems only a natural infirmity 
be catalogued with the blackest sins ? Because, if 
we honestly examine it, it is always and only the 
fruit of not really believing God's words, not really 
trusting His love and wisdom and power. It is a 
bold, * Yea, hath God said? ' ^ to His abundant and 
infinitely gracious promises^ it is a tacit denial that 
He is what He is ! Only let us sincerely and thor- 
oughly trace down every fear to its root, and we 
shall (if the Holy Spirit guide our search *) be con- 
vinced of its sinfulness, and ^by the commandment ' 
it will 'become exceeding sinful.'^ ' Let Thy judg- 
ments help ' us, O Lord,^ in this matter. 

But now for the brighter side ! Would our King 
tell us again and again, ' Fear not ! ' if there were 
any reason at all to fear? Would He say this kind 
word again and again, ringing changes as of the 
bells of heaven upon it, only to mock us, if He 
knew all the time that we could not possibly help 
fearing ? Only give half an hour to seeking out the 
reasons He gives why we are not to fear, and the 
all-inclusive circumstances in which He says we are 

1 Ex. XX. 1$. 2 Rev, xxi. 8. 

3 Gen. iii. lo; Luke xix. 21 ; 2 Sam. vi. 8, 9. ^ John xvi. 8, 9. 
■6 Rom. vii. 13. 6 Ps. cxix. 175. 



jfear IWot. 117 

not to fear; see how we are to fear nothing, 
and no one, and never, and nowhere ; see 
how He Himself is in every case the foundation 
and the grand reason of His command, His presence 
and His power always behind it; and then shall we 
hesitate to say, 'I will fear no evil; for Thou art 
with me ' ?.^ Shall we even fancy there is any answer 
to those grand and forever unanswered questions, 
*The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom 
shall i fear ? the Lord is the strength of my life ; of 
whom shall I be afraid? ' ^ 

There is a ' Fear not ' for every possible case and 
kind of fear ; so that we have never any answer to 
give when He asks, ' Why are ye fearful ? ' ^ but we 
are * without excuse.'* It is part of His 'holy 
covenant' that we should * serve Him without fear. '^ 
It is one of His ' precious promises ' that * thou 
shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear.' ® It is one of 
the blessed results of His reign that His flock ' shall 
fear no more.' ^ It is no impossible thing, but the 
simple and natural consequence of really seeking 
and really trusting the Lord, that He will deliver 
us not from some, but from ' alV our fears. ^ He 
did this for David, will He be less kind to you and 
me ? 

The Lord Jesus gives a very tender and gentle 
expression of the same command when He says, 
* Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be 
afraid.' ^ Ah ! we too often /<?/ our hearts be afraid : 

1 Isa. xli. 10, xliii. 1-5; Matt. x. 28; Lam. iii. 57; Rev. i. 17; ib. 
ii. 10; Isa. li. 12, 13; Gen. XV. I ; Matt. xiv. 27; Isa. xxxv. 4 ; Ps.xxiii.4. 

2 Ps. xxvii. I. 3 Matt. viii. 26. 4 Rom. i. 20. 
6 Luke i. 74. 6 Job xi. 15. "^ Jer. xxiii. 4. 
8 Ps. xxxiv. 4; Heb. xiii. 8. 9 John xiv. 27. 



ri8 IRo^al Commandments. 

we yield without even a parley; a fear arises, and 
we do not recognize it as an enemy of our King, 
we just /<f/ it enter and sit down, instead of un- 
sheathing the sword of the Spirit and attacking it in 
the power of His might, and in the Name that al- 
ways conquers. No matter how powerless we feel 
about it, strength comes with determination to 
obey.^ Let us say this morning, now, ' I wt7/ 
trust and no^ be afraid ; ' '^ and then let us ' say to 
them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not ; 
. . . He will come and save you.'^ 

Is God for me ? I fear not, though all against me rise ! 
"When I call on Christ my Saviour, the host of evil flies. 
My Friend, the Lord Almighty, and He who loves me — God ! 
What enemy shall harm me, though coming as a flood ? 

Paul Gerhardt. 

1 Eph. vi. 17; ib. vi. 10; Ps. xliv. 5; Luke x. 17; Mark iii. 5. 
3 Isa.. xii. 2. 3 Isa. xxxr. 4. 



^be QtxexxQtb^QivirxQ Xooft. 119 



TWELFTH DAY. 



^be Strengtb^SiviuQ Xooft* 

* And the Lord looked upon him, and said, Go in this thy 
might.' — ^Judges vi. 14. 

FOR the might of a look of the Lord is enough 
for anything ! Only, we must meet His look ; 
our eyes must be ever toward the Lord,^ and then 
we shall not miss it : for He says, * I will se^ Mine 
eyes upon them for good.' ^ So, if we are indeed 
His people, we can never look up to Him without 
His look of grace and goodness and guidance 
meeting ours. 

It will not trouble us as it ' troubled the Egyp- 
tians ' * when that mysterious look of the Lord fell 
upon them ' through the pillar of fire and of the 
cloud ; ' that look of judgment is not for His Israel. 

Yet for them there is the solemn look of searching, 
when He * looketh on the heart.'* 

For them, too, the look of exj>ectaHon, when He 
comes to His vineyard and looks ' that it should 
bring forth grapes ; ' ^ when He comes to * see if 
the vine flourish, whether the tender grape appear,' 

1 Ps. XXV. 15. 2 Jer. xxiv. 6. s Ex. xiv. 24. 

* I Sam. xvi. 7. 6 Jsa. v. 2. 



I20 TRogal CommanDments, 

with the beautiful promise in His hand, ' There will 
I give thee My loves. ' ^ 

For them the unspeakable power and tenderness 
of His look of recall.'^ One who, after denial of the 
faith, had felt the might of that look, said to a lad 
who stood awed by the manly tears : ' Ah, Willie, 
it's forgiven sin that breaks a man's heart ! ' How 
many a wanderer has been called back even by the 
record that ' the Lord turned, and looked upon 
Peter.' 

Then the look of healing and help. ^ Have we as 
simple faith as the father who besought Jesus to look 
upon his only son, as if even a look from the dimly 
recognized Master should be enough ?* And so it 
was! the * word only,' the touch, the look, were 
enough for health and cure in cases to which this 
was a terrible climax.^ 

Then the look of blessing and love. ' Look down 
. . .and bless Thy people,'^ prayed Moses. 
And what a look of blessing that was when Jesus 
* looked round about on them which sat about Him,' 
and ' stretched forth His hand toward ' them, and 
gave them the right of the nearest and dearest 
relationships ! "^ Oh ! let us take time {make time, 
if need be) to ^sit about Him ' ^ and listen to His 
teaching and meet His look. 

And, last of the seven, there is for His people 
the special look of strengthening.^ There is so much 
in it. Suppose you are called to take part in some 
busy and complicated arrangements; it is all new 

1 Cant. vii. 12. 2 Luke xxii. 61, 3 Mark ix. 24. 

4 Luke ix. 38. 5 Matt. viii. 8 ; Mark v. 28 ; ib. ix. 20, 21. 

6 Deut. xxvi. 15. 7 Mark iii. 34; Matt. xii. 49. 

8 Deut. xxxiii. 3; Luke x. 39. 9 Judg. vi. 14. 



^be Strenatb*0ivin9 Xooft. 121 

to you; you are not quite sure you are doing the 
right thing in-the right way j you hesitate and go 
on slowly and uncertainly, with no sense of freedom 
and power. All at once you catch the eye of the 
one who is leading and organizing ! ^ The look is 
enough ; there is direction, approval, confidence, 
encouragement, in that one glance, and you work 
away altogether differently. Very graciously does 
the Master sometimes give this strengthening look — 
giving, in a way no one could convey to another, 
just what we needed for our special work. We know 
that our Lord has looked upon us, and the look has 
flashed electric strength into heart and hand j and we 
go on our way rejoicing, not at all in feeling any more 
able than before, but in the brightness of His power, 
saying, 'I will go in the strength of the Lord God.'* 
And then His own strength is ours, and He says, 
* Go in this thy might,' for * thy God hath com- 
manded thy strength ; ' ^ and yet we know more 
distinctly than ever that it is His strength which is 
made perfect in our weakness.* Who is it that shall 
have the strengthening look of the Lord ? ' To this 
man will I look,' saith Jehovah, * even to him that 
is poor and of a contrite spirit.' ^ It was he who 
said, 'What is thy servant, that thou shouldest look 
upon such a dead dog as I am ? ' who ' did eat con- 
tinually at the king's table. '^ 

1 Ps. xxxii. 8. 2 Ps. xliv. 3; ib. Ixxi. 16; ib. Ixxxvi. 16. 

3 Ps. Ixviii. 28. 4 Isa. xlv. 4; 2 Cor. xii. 9. 

5 Isa. Ixvi. 2. '2 Sam, ix. 8; ib. ix. 13. 



122 iRoisal Comm^T.Dnients, 



THIRTEENTH DAY. 



Hll«^0l&e& (Bui&ance* 

* And guided them on every side.' — 2 Chron. xxxii. 22. 

SEE the completeness of Jehovah's guidance ! It 
is so different from human guidance. How 
seldom we feel that a human counsellor has seen our 
difficulty from every point of view, balanced all its 
bearings, and given guidance which will meet all 
contingencies, and be right not only on one side, I 
but *on every side.' But 'His work is perfect'^ * 
in this as in all other details ; He will guide ' when 
ye turn to the right hand, and when ye turn to the 
left."^ Perhaps we have gone about as Elymas did 
in his mist and darkness, * seeking some to lead him 
by the hand,'^ putting confidence in earthly guides, 
and finding again and again that * it is not in man 
that walketh to direct his steps,'* and getting per- 
plexed with one-sided counsels. Let us to-day put 
our confidence in His every-sided guidance. 

Very often, the very recoil from an error lands us 
in an opposite one ; because others, or we ourselves, 
have gone too far in one direction, we thenceforth 

1 Deut. xxxii. 4. 2 Isa. xxx. 21. 

* Acts xiii. II. •* Jer. x. 23. 



2lll=mDcD <5ui&ance. 123 

do not go far enough, or vice versa : excess re-acting 
in defect, and defect in excess ; a received truth 
overshadowing its equally valuable complementary- 
one j the fear of overstepping the boundary line of 
the narrow track of truth and right, on the one side, 
leading us unconsciously to overstep it on the other 
side. But the promise which we should claim is, 
that the Holy Spirit would guide us into all truth, 
* on every side.^^ 

How intensely restful is this completeness of gui- 
dance ! There is nothing outside of God's all- 
inclusive promises about it. ' I will direct all his 
ways." 'I will direct their work in truth.'' Not 
only the general course, but ' the steps of a good 
man are ordered by the Lord;'* and what is less 
than a single step ! Just realize this : every single 
little step of this coming day ordered by Jehovah ! 
And lest you should sigh, * This is not for me, be- 
cause I am not good,' He repeats the same assur- 
ance still more simply: *The Lord directeth his 
steps. "^ Now if we really believe these words, need 
we feel worried because we cannot see the steps 
ahead which Jehovah is going to direct, if we will 
let Him ?^ 

If we will let Him ! Yes, this is no fatalistic 
leading. The guidance is conditional. He says, 'I 
will guide thee with Mine eye ;'^ but then we must 
look up to meet His eye. * Thou shalt guide me 
with Thy -counsel ;'^ but then we must listen for and 
listen to His counsel. ' He shall direct thy paths;'* 

1 John xvi. 13. 2 isa. xlv. 13. 3 isa. Ixi. 8. 

^ Ps. xxxvi. 23. 5 Prov. xvi. 9. * Isa. xlii. 16. 

' Ps. xxxii. 8. 8 Ps. Ixxiii. 24. 9 Prov. viii. 34. 



124 TRo^al Commandments, 

but it is when we acknowledge Him in all our ways.* 
He does not lead us whether or no ! 

Suppose a little child is going with its father 
through an untracked wood. If it walks ever such 
a little way apart, it will make many a lost step ; and 
though the father will not let it get out of sight and 
hearing, will not let it get lost, yet he may let it find 
out for itself that going just the other side of this tree 
leads it into a hopeless thicket, and stepping just 
the other side of this stone leads it into a muddy 
place, and the little steps have to be retraced again 
and again, till at last it asks the father to hold its 
hand, and /^^/j" and /^^^z^<f^ its hand in his. Then, 
and not till then, there will be no lost step, for it is 
guided ' on every side.' 

Need the little child go on a little longer by itself 
first? Had it not better put its hand into the father's 
at once ? Will you not do so * from this time 'T from 
this morning? Give up trying to pick your way; 
even if the right paths in which He leads you are 
paths that you have not known, say, 'Even there 
shall Thy hand lead me.'^ Let Him teach you His 
paths,* and ask Him to make not your way, but 
* Thy way straight before my face. '^ So shall you find 
the completeness and the sweetness of His guidance. 
For ' the Lord shall guide thee continually,'® 'by 
the springs of waters shall He guide ' thee ;^ He 
shall be the guide of your youth, and carry you 
even unto your old age f He will be your guide 
even unto death,' and beyond : for one strain of the 



iPro 


V. iii. 


6. 


2Jer. 


iii. 


• 4- 










SPs. 


cxxxix. to. 


4Ps. 


XXV. 


4- 


5Ps. 


V. 


8. 










6 Isa 


. Iviii. 


II. 


TIsa. 


xlix. 


. 19. 


8Jer. 


, iii 


• 4; 


Isa. 


x! 


Ivi. 


4- 


9PS. 


xlviii. 


• 14- 



IRuler, because deliverer. 125 

song of the victorious ones that stand upon the sea 
of glass mingled with fire ^ shall be, ' Thou hast 
guided them in Thy strength unto Thy Holy habi- 
tation.' 



>2 



' I know not the way I am going, 
But well do I know my guide ; 

With a childlike trust I give my hand 
To the Mighty Friend at my side : 

And the only thing that I say to Him 
As He takes it, is : " Hold it fast; 

Suffer me not to lose my way, 
And lead me home at last." ' 



FOURTEENTH DAY. 



IRuler, becauee 2)cliverer* 

' Rule thou over us, . . , for thou hast delivered us.* — 
J^UDGES viii. 22. 

ALTHOUGH the passage in which these words 
occur cannot be considered a typical one, 
yet we may perhaps take them as illustrating and 
epitomizing the desire of every one whom Christ 
has delivered. 

But what about this deliverance which precedes 
the prayer, * Rule thou over us ' ? Is it ours ? Do 

i Rev. XV. 2, 3. 2 Ex. XV. 13. 

9 



126 IRo^al Commandments. 

we not know whether He has delivered us or not? 
It is no doing of ours, for ' we have not wrought 
any deliverance. ' ^ We have only His word about 
it, but that is indeed enough, in its absolute and 
unmistakable assurance : ' Jesus, which delivered 
us from the wrath to come ; ' ^ ^ w^q hath delivered 
us from the power of darkness.'^ This grand de- 
liverance is accomplished, and Jesus Himself pro- 
claims it. Will you doubt His own proclamation 
of His own act ? He has opened the prison doors, 
and now bids the captives go free, and know that 
they are free.* He has vanquished the foe and 
broken the bands of his yoke, and now tells you 
that He giveth you the victory which He has already 
won. What can He do more? He will do no 
more, because He has done all ; therefore, if you 
do not accept the deliverance which He has 
wrought, there is no other for you, and ' nothing 
can be put to it.' ^ Only believe it, and then you 
will joyfully say, ' He hath delivered my soul in 
peace from the battle that was against me.' ^ 

But you will not stop there. Merely to be ' in 
peace ' '^ is not the end and aim of deliverance. If 
we are truly delivered, the Deliverer will soon be 
more to us than even the deliverance, and the 
gratitude and love will seek expression in obedience. 
Soldiers are ready to follow the captain who has 
won the victory anywhere and everywhere ; they 
will not want to be in any other service, least of all 
in that of his foe. 



1 Isa. xxvi. i8. 2 I Thess. i. lo. 3 Col. i. 13. 

4 Isa. xlii. 7 ; ib. Ixi. i. 6 Eccles. iii. 14. ^ Ps. Iv. 18. 

' Luke i. 74. 



IRuler, because 2)elivecer» 127 

We may take this as a test of the reality of our 
own participation in the deliverance which Christ 
has wrought for us. If we are saying, ' Rule Thou 
over us,' it is a sure proof that we may add, ' for 
Thou hast delivered us ; ' for it is His people who 
are willing in the day of His power. ^ 

This ruling is indeed the completion of the de- 
liverance. It is not merely that the enemy is con- 
quered and expelled from the stronghold, but that 
the citadel is occupied by a stronger than he ; ^ 
otherwise the garrison would be left headless and 
defenceless, and open at any moment to the fatal 
return of the foe. So the Saviour, who has re- 
deemed our life from destruction,^ is the Jesus who 
shall save His people from their sins,* who shall cast 
down- imaginations, and bring every thought into 
captivity to the obedience of Christ.^ The 
Deliverer who comes to Zion is He who shall turn 
away ungodliness from Jacob. ^ ^ If we are not 
willing for this, we may well doubt whether we have 
any part or lot in the matter, and fear that we are 
yet in the bond of iniquity ; '^ for Christ will not 
arrange a partial salvation to meet our partial 
desire.^ He will not be our refuge from the penalty 
of sin, if we do not want Him as our refuge from 
the power.* When the elders of Gilead turned 
to Jephthah in their distress, that he might lead 
them to victory over their oppressors, what was 
his condition?'" — 'If ye bring me home again 
to fight against the children of Amnion, and 

1 Ps. ex. 3. 2 Luke xi. 22. 3 Ps. ciii. 4. 

■* Matt. i. 21. 5 2 Cor. x. 5. 6 jga. lix. 20. 

7 Acts viii, 21 ; ib. viii. 23. 8 Rom. vi. i, 22. 

8 Titus ii. 14 10 Judg. xi. 4-8. 



128 IRoisal CommanDments* 

the Lord deliver them before me, shall I be your 
head?'^ 

Lord Jesus, Thou art exalted to be a Prince and 
a Saviour,'^ and as such I need Thee and I desire 
Thee. * Thou hast delivered my soul from death/ ^ 
therefore I pray Thee to deliver my feet from falling, 
that I may ' run the way of Thy commandments.' * 
Oh, sit and rule upon Thy throne in my heart ; ^ 
reign there until Thou hast put all enemies under 
Thy feet ! « 



FIFTEENTH DAY. 



Separation unto* 

* Seemeth it but a small thing unto you, that the God of 
Israel hath separated you from the congregation of Israel, to 
bring you near to himself? ' — Num. xvi, 9. 

THE thought of separation, so inseparable from 
true and growing Christian life,'^ is sometimes 
invested with an unnecessary sternness, because it is 
only viewed in one aspect. Young Christians are 
tempted to think ' separation from . . , ' a hard 
thing, because they do not see how it is far more 
than outweighed by ' separation unto. '® Let us think 
a little of this bright and beautiful side of it. 

1 Judg. xi. 9. 2 Acts V. 31. 3 Ps. Ivi. 13. 

4 Ps. cxix. 32. 5 Zech. vi. 13. ^ i Cor. xv.25. 

7 John xvii. 16; i John ii. 15. 8 Rom. i. i. 



Separation unto. 129 

There is no true separation from the things which 
Jesus calls us to leave/ without a corresponding 
separation unto things which are incomparably 
better.'' One hardly likes to speak of it as compen- 
sation, because the 'unto' is so infinitely more 
than the 'from;' it is like talking of a royal friend- 
ship compensating for dropping a beggar's 
acquaintance, or the whole Bank of England for a 
brass farthing, or palace life for * giving up ' work- 
house life !^ 

First, and -chiefly, we are separated unto the Lord 
Himself* He wants us not only for servants, but 
for friends;^ and He makes the friendship a splendid 
and satisfying reality. He wants to bring us * near 
to Himself,' that we may be 'a people near unto 
Him.'^ He will not have a half possession in us, 
and so He says He hath 'severed you from other 
people,'^ why ? 'that ye should be Mine!' ^chosen 
unto Himself,' ' His peculiar treasure,'® 'separated 
from among all the people of the earth to be Thine 
inheritance. '^ Is it 'a small thing' thus to be the 
Lord's Nazarite, 'holy unto the Lord all the days 
of his separation'?^" is any earthly crown to be com- 
pared to ' the consecration ( margin, separation ) of 
his God upon his head '? ^^ 

We are separated also to far happier human 
friendships than the world knows." There is no 
isolation intended. ' The Lord is able to give thee 
much more than this. '^^ Those who separated them- 

1 Matt. iv. 19, 20. 2 Mark x. 29, 30. ^ Phil. iii. 8; i Cor. iii. 21-23. 
4 Num. vi. 2 ; Ps. iv. 3. 5 John xv. 15. 

* Ps. cxlviii, 14. 7 Lev. xx. 26. 8 Ps. cxxxv. 4, 

* I Kings viii. 53; Titus ii. 14. 10 Num. vi. 8. 

U Num. vi. 7. 12 g_ g^ I Thess. ii, 17-20, iii. 9 ; 2 John i. 12. 

13 2 Chron. xxv. 9. 



I^O 



IRo^al Commandments, 



selves from the people of the land unto the law of 
God, ' they clave to their brethren.'^ That is just it ; 
we may lose * people/ but we find brethren,'^ with 
all the love and pleasure and freedom of intercourse 
— yes, and even mirth — which that relationship 
brings. Is not this ' much more ' than the society 
of 'people 7 

But we do not get this, perhaps do not even 
guess its existence, as long as we try for both.* 
Both means neither, in this case ; we are conscious 
of the hollowness of the one, and we are not sepa- 
rated unto, and therefore cannot possibly know the 
enjoyment of, the other. 

Then we are separated unto work, ' the work 
whereunto I have called them;'* very different 
kinds, but to every man his own work,^ and thereby 
an end of all the gnawing purposelessness, and 
down-weighing uselessness, and miserable time- 
killing, and sense of helpless waste of life. Ennui 
is no part of a separated life ; there is no room for 
that wretchedness any more. * Whose I am, and 
whom I serve,' ® fills it up. Some are separated 
more especially * to bear the ark of the covenant of 
the Lord.''' Some only to stand before Him, it 
may be ' by night,' * so that ' songs in the night ' * 
may ascend to His glory. Some in a thousand 
ways * to minister unto Him,' to His poor, to ^ His 
prisoners,' ^^ spiritually or temporally ; always 'unto 
Him ' " in His representatives. But all ' to bless in 

1 Neh. X. 28, 29. 2 Markx. 30; i John iii. 14. 

' Matt. vi. 24 ; Jas. iv. 4. ^ Acts xiii. 2. 

5 Mark xiii. 34. ^ Acts xxvii. 23. T Jsa. Iii. 11 ; Deut. x. 8. 

8 Ps. cxxxiv. I. ^ Job XXXV. 10. 10 Ps. Ixix. 33. 
11 Matt. XXV. 40. 



Separation unto» 131 

His name ; ' ^ for praise is the invariable service of 
separation. 

' Ye see your calling ; ' ^ is it not a high one ? 
* Seemeth it but a small thing to you? ' ^ Seemeth 
it too stern a thing ? Is it not rather a ' better 
thing ' than fallen man could have dreamt of as- 
piring to?* a brighter life than has entered into the 
natural heart of man even to imagine ? Is it for 
you ? Listen ! ' Be ye separate,' and, what then ? 
*/\gtll receive you.'^ 'This is His command- 
ment ' ^ to you, and this is His promise. Will you 
obey ? Then you shall know a little, but every day 
more and more, of that unspeakable blessing of 
being * received ' by the Father, until the day when 
Jesus shall come again and receive you unto Himself^ 
for the grand separation of eternity with Him.^ 

*As by the light of opening day 

The stars are all concealed, 
So earthly pleasures fade away 

When Jesus is revealed.' 

John Newton. 

1 I Chron. xxiii. 13. 2 i Cor. i. 26; Phil. iii. 14. 

8 Num. xvi. 9. 4 I Cor. ii. 9, 10. 5 2 Cor. vi. 17. 

• I John iii. 23. 7 John xiv. 3. 8 John xvii. 24* 



132 TRosal Commandments, 



SIXTEENTH DAY. 



flDanffeeting tbe Xife of 3c6nB. 

* That the life also of Jesus might be made manifest in our 
mortal flesh.' — 2 Cor. iv. 11. 

IS not this a * high ' and ' holy ' and ' heavenly * 
calling ?^ Yet ' even hereunto were ye called : 
because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an 
example, that we should follow His steps. '^ ' Here- 
unto,' to do just as He would have done, sometimes 
even just as He did do in like circumstances; to 
show not our patience, but * the patience of Jesus 
Christ,'^ — not mere human meekness and gentleness, 
but * the meekness and gentleness of Christ,'* and so 
on with all the other beautiful and holy qualities 
which shone in ' the life also of Jesus. ' While our 
*life is hid with Christ in God,'^ His life is to be 

* manifest in our mortal flesh,' — yes, 'magnified in 
my body.'^ 

' How shall this be ? ' First, Jesus Himself must 
dwell in our hearts by faith/ or His life cannot be 

* manifest. ' He has said He will do so, but it is on 
conditions which He specifies: i. Hearing His 

1 Phil. iii. 14 ; 2 Tim. i. 9 ; Heb. iii, i. - 1 Pet. ii. 21. 

3 Rev. i. 9. 4 2 Cor. x. i. 5 Col. iii. 3. 

* Phil. i. 20. ^ Eph. iii. 17. 



/jftanitestiiiQ tbe %itc ot S^esus* 133 

voice ; 2. Opening the door to Him ; 3. Loving 
Him ; 4. Keeping His words. ^ Not one of these 
can we fulfil without His grace, but not one of them 
will He deny us grace to fulfil, and the real desire 
to fulfil them is the beginning of that grace. 
Therefore let us ' open unto Him immediately, ' and 
let Him come in and ^ abide with us,'^ so that 
henceforth it may be, ' Not I, but Christ liveth in 
me.'^^ 

We want Him to make us vessels meet for this 
great use ;* pure and transparent vessels through 
which His glorious life may shine ; so transparent, 
that, like clear glass, they may be altogether lost 
sight of in the light which streams through them ; 
so pure, that they may not dim the radiance of His 
indwelling. 

The word ^ manifest ' is more than mere show- 
ing ; it implies a bringing to light, shining forth, 
and comes from the idea of a torch or lantern. We 
can only shine as lights in the world by bearing the 
Light of the world within us.^ But it is a grand and 
solemn responsibility. Our Lord Jesus is hidden 
from the eyes of the world; they do not see Him, 
they only see us, and our lives are to show them 
what His life is. What a tremendous trust our Mas- 
ter has given us ! Who is sufficient for this thing ?^ 
It is very real. He, our precious Lord, will be held 
in more or less esteem this day; His power, His 
grace. His sweetness will be judged of according to 
what the outsiders see in our lives. This day it rests 

1 Rev. iii. 20; John xiv. 23. 2 Luke xii. 36 ; ib. xxiv. 29. 

3 Gal. ii 20. 4 2 Tim. ii. 21. 

s Phil. ii. 15 ; John viii. 12. 6 2 Cor. ii. 16. 



134 IRoi^al CommanC>ment5. 

with us to bring fresh reproach and discredit on His 
dear name, by caricaturing His life, or so truly to 
manifest it ' that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ 
may be glorified in you.'^ 

Thy life in me be shown ! 

Lord, I would henceforth seek 

To think and speak 
Thy thoughts, Thy words alone, 
No more my own ! 



SEVENTEENTH DAY. 



Zhc ^o^xc^^cBtvo^irxQ anointing. 

* The yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.' — 
IsA. X. 27. 

THE Assyrian yoke of old was not so real, 
so tangible, so continually felt a yoke, as that 
under which many a child of God is writhing ; yet 
they are 'called unto liberty,' even ' the glorious 
liberty of the children of God.'^ And if the yoke 
of sin is felt to be real, the promised destruction of 
it surely will not be less so. If it is, as we know by 
sorrowful experience, no imaginary bondage, neither 
shall the deliverance be imaginary. 

1 2 Thess. i. 12. 2 Gal. v. 13 ; Rom. viii. 21. 



33o?ie*De5tro^ing Anointing* 135 

You feel the yoke, but how shall it be destroyed ? 
I. Because of the grand anointing of our Lord 
Jesus Christ by God Himself ^ with the Holy Ghost 
and with power '^ to proclaim liberty to the cap- 
tives; ^ the grace and might of the triune Jehovah 
thus combining in the proclamation of the liberty 
which Jesus purchased by taking upon Him the form 
of a slave and becoming obedient to death. ^ 

2. * Because of the anointing ' which we ' have 
recefved of Him,'* because the precious ointment 
upon our High Priest's head goes down to the skirts 
of His garments/ shared by His least and lowest 
members. 

Perhaps we stop here and say, 'But I cannot 
realize that I have received it, because my yoke is 
heavy upon me.' Then see how you shall receive it; 
there is only one way — not by fresh revelation or 
special voice from heaven, but simply by faith — 
* that ye might receive the promise of the spirit 
through faith. '^ Give glory to God, and be fully 
persuaded that what He has promised He is able 
also to perform ;^ and His * free Spirit ' will be 
faithful to His promise, and the yoke, even your 
yoke, * shall be destroyed because of the anointing. '^ 

All other yokes are sub-included in the yoke of 
our sins, and this is exactly what Jesus came to save 
us from; the very first, as it is the all-inclusive 
New Testament promise, ' Thou shalt call His name 
Jesus : for He shall save His people from their 
sins.'* Are all His wonderful promises about this 

1 Acts X. 38. 2isa. Ixi. 1. 3 phil. ii. 7, 8. 

4 I John ii. 27. 6 Ps. cxxxiii. 2. 6 Qal. iii. 14. 

' Rom. iv. 20, 21. 8 Ps, li. 12 ; Heb. x. 23. 9 Matt. i. 21. 



136 IRoi^al Commandments. 

mere empty words, with no power or reality in 
them? Are they the exceptions to His declaration 
that ^ My words shall not pass away ' ? ^ the only 
promises which are not Yea and Amen in Christ 
Jesns?^ Listen! they need no note or comment. 
* Sin shall not have dominion over you. ' * Ye were 
the servants of Sin, but, . . . being made free 
from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness.'* 
^ Now being made free from sin,' 'the law of the 
Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from 
the law of sin and death.'* 'Whosoever commit- 
teth sin is the servant of sin. ... If the Son there- 
fore shall make you free, ye shall be free indeed.'^ 
Let us look at the context of each (only not quoted 
for want of space), and, if our experience has noth- 
ing answering to all this purpose of His goodness'® 
let us ask Him to show us His own meaning and 
His own royal intention, and to 'reveal even this 
unto you ''^ by the unction from the Holy one,® who 
convinces all the more deeply of sin when He con- 
vinces also of the practical power of Christ's blood 
to cleanse from all sin, and of the reality of His 
present salvation.^ Do not hug the yoke which He 
has promised to destroy. 

' And it shall come to pass in the day that the 
Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from 
thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou 
wast made to serve, that thou shalt . . . say, How 
hath the oppressor ceased ! '^° 'In that day . . . 
his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder. ' 

1 Matt, xxiv. 35. 2 2 Cor. i. 20. 3 Rom. vi. 14; ib. vi. 17, 18. 

4 Rom. vi. 22 ; ib. viii. 2. 5 John viii, 34, 36. 
6 Eph. i. 4. 7 Phil. iii. 15. 8 i John ii. 20. 

8 John xvi. 8 ; i John i. 7. 10 Isa. xiv. 3, 4. 



15o?ie*Dc6troi2in9 Bnolnting* 137 

But ' that day ' may be f/ii's day ! Why not ? * For 
now will I break his yoke from oif thee.'^ * Where 
the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty;'^ and He 
hath said, * Ask, and ye i-Zz^// receive.'^ Recognize 
the anointing by faith, and then 'stand fast there- 
fore in the liberty wherewith Christ Aaf/i made us 
free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of 
bondage;'* for 'this. is His commandment.' Then 
you shall ' walk at liberty,'^ and give Him the glad 
* offering of a free heart,' rejoicing in His easy 
yoke/ and (shall we not add), ' proclaiming liberty 
every man to his neighbor.'^ 

Upon Thy promises I stand, 

Trusting in thee ; Thine own right hand 

Doth keep and comfort me ! 
My soul doth triumph in Thy word ; 
Thine, Thine be all the praise, dear Lord, 

As Thine the victory. 

Love perfecteth what it begins ; 

Thy power doth save me from my sins; 

Thy grace upholdeth me. 
This life of trust, how glad ! how sweet ! 
My need and Thy great fullness meet, 

And I have all in thee. 

Jean S. Pigott. 

1 Nah. i. 13. 2 2 Cor. iii. 17. 3 Matt. vii. 7. 

< Gal. V. I. 6 Ps, cxix. 45. 6 MatU xi. ag. 

' Jer. xxxiv. 15, 



138 IRosal dommanOmenU^ 



EIGHTEENTH DAY. 



®ur Morft0 in 6oi)'0 Ibanb* 

' Commit thy works unto the Lord.' — Prov. xvi. 3. 

SUPPOSE an angel were sent down to tell us this 
morning that he was commissioned to take all 
our work under his charge to-day, that we might 
just be easy about it, because he would undertake 
it, and his excellent strength and wisdom ^ would 
make it all prosper a great deal more than ours, 
how extremely foolish it would be not to avail our- 
selves of such superhuman help ! What a holiday 
it would seem, if we accepted the offer, as we went 
about our business with the angel beside us ! what 
a day of privilege and progress ! and how we should 
thank God for the extraordinary relief His kindness 
had sent ! 

Far higher is our privilege this day ; not merely 
permitted, but pressed upon us by royal command- 
ment, ' Commit thy works unto Jehovah ! ' Yet 
this is but the third strand of a golden cord which 
is strong enough (if yielded to) to draw us up out 
of all the miry clay of the ' pit of noise,' ^ where 

1 Ps. ciii. 20. 2 Ps. xl. 2, margin. 



®ur Morfes in (BoO'e IbanC), 139 

the voices of fear and anxiety and distrust make 
such a weary din. We are to commit the keeping 
of our souls to Him ; ^ then we shall be ready for 
the command to commit our way unto Him, and 
then our works. ^ Then, having obeyed, we may 
exchange the less confident expression, ' Unto God 
would I commit my cause,' ^ for the bright 
assurance, ' I am persuaded that He is able to keep 
that which I have committed unto Him.'* 0/ 
course He is ! 

Not an angel, but Jehovah bids us this day com- 
mit our works to Him. It is not approvmg the 
idea, nor thinking about it, nor even asking Him 
to take them, that is here commanded, but commu- 
ting them : a definite act of soul, a real transaction 
with our Lord. Suppose you have an interview 
with another worker, and, having had a distinct 
understanding as to what you wish him to undertake 
for you, you verbally and explicitly transfer to him 
the management and responsibility of some work. 
You are not actually in sight of it, you have no 
tangible objects to hand over, you might do it in a 
dark room, but the transaction is real. The burden 
of the work is no longer upon you, if only you 
have confidence in the one to whom you have com- 
mitted it. And if you have the further confidence 
that he is considerably more capable than yourself, 
and can do it all a great deal better, you are not 
only relieved but rejoiced. Just such a definite 
transaction does our Lord bid us make with Him 
this morning. Will you do it ? Will you not, be- 

1 1 Pet. iv. 19. 2 Ps. xxxvii. 5. 

3 Job V. 8. 4 2 Tim. i. 12. 

r 



140 IRo^al Commandments, 

fore venturing away from your quiet early hour, 

* commit thy works ' to Him definitely, the special 
things you have to do to-day, and the unforeseen 
work which He may add in the course of it ? 

And then, leave it with Him ! You would not 
have the bad taste to keep on fidgeting about it to 
the friend who had kindly undertaken your work 
for you ! If we would only apply the commonest 
rules of human courtesy and confidence to our in- 
tercourse with our Divine Master ! Leave details 
and results all and altogether with Him. You see, 
when you have committed it to Him, your * works 
are in the hand of God.'^ Really in His Hand ! 
and where else would you wish them to be ? Would 
you like to have them back in your own ? Do you 
think His grasp is not firm enough, or the hollow 
of His hand ^ not large enough, to hold your little 
bits of work quite securely ? Even if He tries your 
faith a little, and you seem to have labored in vain 
and spent your strength for nought, cannot you 
trust your ' own Master' enough to add, ' Yet surely 
my judgment is with the Lord, and my work with 
my God ' ?^ Especially as He says, ^ Thou art my 
servant, in whom I will be glorified ; ' * by which 

* ye know that your labor is not in vain in the 
Lord.'^ 

That for the past work. For the present, * I will 
direct their work in truth.' ® And for all our future 
work, a singular shining in the eastern horizon : 

* Mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands. " 

1 Eccles. ix. I. 2 Isa. xl. 12. 3 Isa. xlix. 4. 

■* Isa. xlix. 3. 6 I Cor. xv. 58. 6 Isa. Ixi. 8. 

' Isa. Ixv. 22. 



Secret of jfulfUleD S)e5ire. 141 

Oh to be nothing, nothing ! 

Only to lie at His feet, 
A broken and emptied vessel, 

For the Master's use made meet. 
Emptied, that He may fill me, 

As forth to His service I go ; 
Broken, that so unhindered 

His life through me might flow. 

Oh to be nothing, nothing ! 

Only as led by His hand ; 
A messenger at His gateway, 

Only waiting for His command. 
Only an instrument ready 

His praises to sound at His will ; 
Willing, should He not require me. 

In silence to wait on Him still. 

G. M. Taylor. 



NINETEENTH DAY. 



c;be Secret of 3fulfilleb 2)e0ire» 

* Delight thyself also in the Lord ; and He shall give thee 
the desires of thy heart.' — Ps. xxxvii. 4. 

ONE often hears this promise quoted without its 
conditional precept ; ^ but we have no right to 
put asunder anything that God has joined together. 
Every heart has desires, but not even every Christ- 

^ Prov. X. 24. 
10 



142 IRo^al Comman&ment6. 

ian heart delights itself in the Lord. This is the 
reason of the great wail of unfulfilled desire — the 
very howl, one might say, which makes a howling 
wilderness of this fair world. 

It stands to reason ; if our delight is absolutely 
and entirely in the Lord, all our desires will be 
not only ^ before Him,' ^ but the whole ' desire of 
our soul ' will be concentrated upon Him,^ radiating 
from that centre along the bright rays of His * good 
and perfect and acceptable will. ' ^ Now, of course. 
His will must and will be carried out ; for ' He 
doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, 
and among the inhabitants of the earth : and none 
can stay His hand.' * 

So, if we delight truly in the Lord, and thereby 
have our desires so harmonized with His will that 
. they float out on the same great tide of perfect 
music, there will be no damper upon their vibrations, 
but they will be fulfilled for us because His will is 
fulfilled.^ 

His will is not, as we are tempted practically to 
think, something quite separate and apart from 
Himself, so that we may think Him gracious, and 
yet think His will rather stern ; or so that we may 
love Him, and yet very much dislike His will. His 
will is the very essence of Himself going forth in 
force ; it is the primary difference between what we 
know of Jehovah and what the Hindoo imagines of 
Brahma. 

We must not overlook the important word 'also.'® 
This points us to a preliminary condition : 

1 Ps. Ixxiii. 25 ; ib. xxxviii. 9. 2 Jsa. xxvi. 8, 9 ; 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. 
3 Rom. xii. 2. ■* Dan. iv. 35. 5 Eph. v. 17. ^ Ps. xxxvii.3. 



Secret ot jfulftlleD 2>e0ire. 143 

-* Trust in the Lord, and do good.'^ Trust, evidenced 
hy obedience, is the stepping-stone to delight in 
the Lord, and the only one. Obedience is the re- 
sult of trust, and the condition of delight. 

Two great cases of this condition of delight are 
distinctly given us — one spiritual, the other 
practical. 

1. * If thou return to the Almighty, . . . f/ien 
thou shalt have thy delight in the Almighty.' ^ It 
is not said to saints, but to repentant sinnerb^ — not 
to the eldest son, but to the returning prodigal.* 
To me, the wanderer, it is offered. To me, the 
backslider, it is held out. We can never say ; 
' The Lord does not mean such a one as I to delight 
i•^ Him ; that sort of thing is only meant for those 
who have always been consistent Christians.' If so. 
He would not have said, ' If thou return.'' ^ With- 
out true returning, there cannot be delight in the 
Lord j but, conversely, if there is no delight, 
ought we not to 'consider our ways,'^ lest some 
* returning ' should be needed ? 

2. * If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, 
from doing thy pleasure on My holy day ; and call 
the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honor- 
able ; and shalt honor Him, not doing thine own 
ways, nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking 
thine own words : Then shalt thou delight thyself 
in the Lord. ' ^ On our knees before Him let us ex- 
amine ourselves as to every clause of this great con- 
dition. Perhaps here we shall find the joints in the 

1 Isa. xii. 2, 3. 2 Job xxii. 23, 26. 3 Matt. ix. 11, 13. 

4 Luke XV. 2, 32. 5 Job xv. 11. 6 Hag. i. 7. 

7 Isa. Iviii. 13, 14. 



144 Uo^al CommanDment6, 

harness, the secret controversy ^ which hinders the 
realization of delight in the Lord, and therefore of 
the annexed promise. 

A word about the delight itself. There is some- 
thing so real, and natural, and childlike about it. 
It is joy realized — joy in flower, bright, growing, 
alive, beautiful. It is the sparkle of the upspringing 
fountain in the clear sunlight. This childlike 
delight is to be in the Lord Himself. It is quite 
another thing to delight in what He does for us. 
The Israelites ^ delighted themselves in Thy great 
goodness..^ Nevertheless they were disobedient, and 
rebelled.' Not under the shadow of even a God- 
given gourd, ^ but under His own shadow, may you 
sit down ' with great delight.' * Then all His fruits 
shall be sweet to your taste ; you shall delight in 
His will, in His comforts, in His commandments, 
and in His people.^ You shall desire ' what His 
soul desireth,' ^ and ' He shall give thee the desires 
of thine Heart. ' ^ 

Oh, blessed life ! — the heart at rest 
When all without tumultous seems — 
That trusts a higher will, and deems 

That higher will, not mine, the best. 

Oh, blessed life ! — heart, mind, and soul, 
Froin self-born aims and wishes free, 
In all at one with Deity, 

And loyal to the Lord's control. 

W. T. Matson. 

1 Micah vi. 2. 2 Neh. ix. 25, 26. 3 Jonah iv. 6. 

4 Cant. ii. 3. ^ Ps. xl. 8 ; ib. xciv. 19 ; ib. cxix. 47 ; ib. xvi. 3. 

6 Job xxiii. 13. ^ Ps.cxlv. 19. 



c:a!?tng (3oO at Die moxtf* 145 



TWENTIETH DAY. 



- Rafting (5o& at 1bi0 Morb* 

' I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.' — 
Acts xxvii. 25. , 

THEN, of course, St. Paul could be calm, and 
bright, and confident, ' with a heart at leisure 
from itself to cheer and counsel others. Yet could 
any circumstances have been more depressing ? — a 
miserable and crowded ship, to which our most 
wretched steamer would be a palace, exceedingly- 
tossed with tempest, not a gleam of sun or star for 
many days, all reckoning lost, driving wildly on to 
certain shipwreck, and the graphic and suggestive 
touch of ' long abstinence.' 

Whatever this day may bring forth, there can be 
nothing like this for us. Yet even the lesser trials 
of our own journey may and must be met with the 
same simple and sufficient secret of calm, simple 
belief in what God has said. It is strange and sur- 
prising even to ourselves how absolutely enough we 
always do find it, just to believe that it shall be 
even as God has told us, and 'rest ' on His word.^ 

Prov. xvi. 3. , 



'46 IRoi^al GommauDmentB* 

The ' it' may be for us one thing to-day, another 
to-morrow, according to the circumstances He 
sends ; but the ' shall be ' cannot be severed from 
it. He has 'told us' so much, that we have only 
to recognize our special need, to find at once that 
He has already ' told ' us exactly what we want. 

Glance at the needs of this day — our weakness, 
our openness to temptation, our liability to fall,^ 
our besetting sins, our ignorance, our present or 
possible troubles, our longing for Himself, which 
includes all other holy longing — seven pressing 
realities.^ Now let us hush our hearts to listen to 
the reality of His corresponding replies : ' I will 
strengthen thee. '^ ' Ye shall be able to quench ail 
the fiery darts of the wicked.'* 'Able to keep you 
from falling'^ (^Gr. 'stumbling'). ' He shall save 
His people from their sins '^ (/. e. just your own 
special ones). ' I will instruct thee and teach thee 
in the way which thou shalt go.'^ 'I will not leave 
you comfortless. ' 'I will come to you."^ Can we 
read these words-r— His own words, and say, ' I do 
not believe God ! ' Even the recoil from such an 
expression may help a trembling one to the joyful 
and only alternative : ' I believe God, that it shall 
"be even as it was told me.' Not less, not almost as, 
but 'even as,' with God's own fullness of meaning 
in each word of each promise. 

David prayed : 'Do as Thou hast said. . . . For 
lliou, O my God, hast toid Thy servant that Thou 
wilt build him an house : therefore Thy servant hath 

1 I Pet. V. 8. 2 Ps, Ixxiii. 22 ; ib. Ix. 11 ; ib. Ixiii. i. 3 Isa. xli. 10. 
4 Epb. vi. 16. 5Jude24. 6 Matt. i. 21. 

'* Ps. xxxii. 8. 8 John xiv. 18. 



^aMng (5o0 at Ibfs MorD. 147 

found in his heart to pray before Thee.' And 
because God had 'promised this goodness,' he 
prayed on confidently : * Now therefore let it please 
Thee to bless . . . : for Thou blessest, O Lord, 
and it shall be blessed forever.'^ Has He not 
' told ' us of blessings beyond those for which David 
pleaded, and may we not claim these in the name 
of Jesus with a childlike, ' Do as Thou hast said' ? 

•The ground of St. Paul's belief was not some- 
thing, but Some One. Simply, ' I believe God' I 
An earnest worker said the other day, ' Oh, I am so 
glad it does not say^ '*I know what I have be- 
lieved," but, " I know who77i I have believed " ! "^ 
This belief, of course, includes all His messages, 
written or spoken. 'If ye will not believe, surely 
ye shall not be established,'^ is a word of continual 
application to the trembling or wavering steps of 
our daily path. But ' this is His commandment,'^ 
' Believe in the Lord your God, so shall ye be es- 
tablished; believe His prophets, so shall ye prosper.'^ 
And then, ' Blessed is she that«believed : for there 
shall be a performance of those things which were 
toldhtr from the Lord.'^ 

■'Even as it was told me.' 'And so it came 
to pass. ''' 

1 1 Chron. xvii. 23, 25. 2 2 Tim. i, 12. 3 isa. vii. 9. * i John iii. 23, 
5 2 Chron. xx. 20. 6 Luke i. 45. 7 Acts xxvii. 25, 44. 



148 IRosal Comman&ment0. 



TWENTY-FIRST DAY. 



®ur Commi00ion* 

'And let him that heareth say, Come.' — Rev. xxii. 17. 

''T^HEY delivered the king's commissions unto 
JL the king's lieutenants.'^ Have some of us 
thought it would be easier to work for God if a 
definite commission were delivered to us, so that we 
could know exactly what we were to do and say^ — 
a commission so explicit, that there could be no 
mistake either in its personal delivery to ourselves 
or in our execution of it ? Then here it is ! 

To whom is it ilelivered? Simply to 'him that 
heareth.' 'The Spirit and the bride say, Come. 
And let him that heareth say, Come.'^ Then, if 
this blessed call has been heard by you, for you is 
the commission intended, and to you it is given. 
Not, are you a fit and polished instrument? not, 
are you a practised worker ? not, are you already a 
trained soldier, and therefore very capable of en- 
listing others?* not, have you a special gift of 
speech or pen?^ but simply and solely, have you 
heard for yourself the one sweet call, ' Come ' ? ® 

1 Ezra viii. 36. 2 Josh. i. 16. 3 Rev. xxii. 17. 

■* 2 Tim. ii. 2, 3. ^ 1 Cor. xii. 7-11. 6 Matt. xi. 28. 



©ur Gommissiom 149 

Now you see that the commission is for you, do 
you not ? But what is it ? Can anything be more 
simple and explicit? You are to 'say, Come\f 
That is all ; but, in simple obedience to this com- 
mand of your King, what possibilities of blessing 
and success, of gladness to you and glory to Him, 
are enfolded ! You are to ^say, Come. ' Are you 
saying it ? Not, are you exercising a general good 
influence? not, do you try to lead and keep the 
coifversation in profitable channels? not, do you 
speak about ' good things ' or even about Christ ? 
not, are you giving time and money to the further- 
ance of some branch of His work ? — you may be 
doing all this, and yet be distinctly disobeying His 
command, distinctly faithless and disobedient to 
your commission. You are missing the present priv- 
ilege and unspeakable happiness of winning souls, 
and foregoing the glorious reward annexed to it.* 
For, assuredly, it is those who are literally saying 
' Come,' who are really '■ turning many to righteous- 
ness;'^ not because they are more gifted, but 
because God's powerful blessing is given with their 
obedience to His definite command. 

Why should we be at a loss what to say, when He 
has given us the very word ? We have but to trans- 
mit the echo of His own call, ' Come unto Me ; ' 
'Come and see; '^ 'If any man thirst, let him 
come unto Me and drink.' * 

Whatever the position of the one to whom we 
speak, there is always a suitable 'Come.' 'Come 
thou with us, and we will do thee good.'^ 'Come 

1 Prov. xi. 30. 2 Dan. xii. 3. 3 John i. 39, 46, 

4 John vii. 37. ^ Num. x. 29 



150 TRoi^al Commandments* 

and see Him whom we have found. '^ 'Come and 
let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual 
covenant that shall not be forgotten.'^ Then, for 
those who have come, there is still always a * Come 
up higher.'^ 'Come up with me . . . that we 
may fight against the Canaanite.'* ' Come ye, and 
let us walk in the light of the Lord.'^ Oh, how 
such a call may be blessed to a weak-handed and 
feeble-footed Christian ? And still there is a ' come ' 
of special beauty and power for those who have 
yielded themselves to Hun : •' Now ye have conse- 
crated yourselves unto the Lord, come near,^^ And 
let us not shrink from faithfully echoing with no 
'uncertain sound, '^ ' Come oiU from among them,'^ 
remembering that when the heavenly Bridegroom 
says, ' Come with Me,' He adds, ^ from Lebanon 
. . . fro7n the lions' dens.'^ He who gives the 
commission always gives opportunities of exercis- 
ing it ; but it is our part faithfully to seek and 
watch for these, and courage and faith will increase 
as they widen. The servant who was sent at first 
only to say ' Come' to the bidden guests, was next 
sent to bring them in from a wider range, and then 
to ' cojnpel them to come in ' from a wider still/^ 

The commission is laid before you this day ; it is 
inscribed with your own name, signed by your 
King's own hand, and sealed by the Spirit, who 
bears witness with your Spirit that His ' Come ' has 
been heard by you.^^ Do you accept it? or do you 
refuse it ? There is no third alternative ! 



1 John i.46. 2 Jer. 1. 5. ^ P^ov. xxv. 7. 

^ Judg. i. 3. 5 Isa. ii. 5. ^2 Chron. xxix. 31 

7 I Cor. xiv. 8. 82 Cor. vi. 17. « Cant. iv. 8. 

10 Luke xiv. 17 ; ib. xiv. 21 ; ib. xiv. 23. ^^ Rom. vin. i6. 



:Bcbolt)i\\Q anD Beclarmg. 151 

Ye who hear the blessed call 

Of the Spirit and the Bride, 
Hear the Master's word to all, 

Your commission and your guide : 
'And let him that heareth say, 
Come,' to all yet far away. 

* Come ! ' alike to age and youth; 

Tell them of our Friend above, 
Of His beauty and His truth, 

Preciousness, and grace, and love. 
Tell them what you know is true, 
Tell them what He is to you. 

Brothers, sisters, do not wait, 

Speak for Him who speaks to you ! 

Wherefore should you hesitate ? 
This is no great thing to do. 

Jesus only bids you say, ' 

* Come !' and will you not obey ? 



TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 



Bebolbing ant) Declaring* 

* Son of man, behold with thine eyes, and hear with thine 
ears, and set thine heart upon all that I shall shew thee ; for 
to the intent that I might shew them unto thee art thou brought 
hither : declare all that thou seest to the house of Israel.' — 
EzEK. xl. 4, 

WHETHER the mysterious Measurer was a 
created angel or the divine Angel of the Gov- 



152 IRo^al CommanDment0» 

enant, ' we cannot tell.' ' But the message which he 
here gives to Ezekiel seems to illustrate the work of 
the Holy Spirit, whose office it is to take both the 
words and the things of Christ and shew them unto us. ^ 
'Eye hath not seen,' yet -behold with thine 
eyes ; ' ' nor ear heard,' yet * hear with thine ears ;' 
' neither have entered into the heart of man,' ^ yet 
'set thine heart upon all that I shall show thee.' 
For ' God hath revealed them unto us by His 
Spirit.' ^ To Ezekiel should be shown the wonder- 
ful temple, with its measurements, its laws, and its 
mystical services. To us shall be revealed the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love 
Him, ^ and (as if to let theladder down a step lower) 
* for him that waiteth for Him. ' ^ Afterward, he 
beheld 'the glory of the God of Israel,' and 'he 
heard Him speaking unto ' him.' And we, by the 
Spirit, are to behold the glory of the Lord,* and to 
*hear His voice ' calling us by name.^ 

This would seem to be all promise and privilege, 
rather than commandment ; something with which 
we have nothing at all to do but to wait and see if 
it comes ! Nay! 'Behold with thine eyes.' ' Go 
forth and behold ' '° your King ! And when we 
accept the seemingly impossible command, the 
Spirit will open our eyes that we may see. ' Hear 
with thine ears ! ' ^^ And with (not even after) the 
obedient inclination of the ear, the still small voice 
will out-ring not only 'earth's drowsy chime,' but 
all other voices. He says : ' They shall hear My 

1 Matt. xxi. 27. 2 John xiv. 26 ; ib. xvi. 15. 3 i Cor. ii. 9. 
■* I Cor. ii. 10. 5 I Cor. ii. 9. * Isa. Ixiv. 4. 

T Ezek. xliii. i, 2 ; ib. xliii, 6. '2 Cor. iii. 18. 

*Johnx. 3. 10 Cant. iii. II. n Isa. Iv. 3. 



:©ebolMng anD WecimrxQ. 153 

voice ; '^ ' they shall know in that day that I am He 
that doth speak. '^ For the Spirit will unstop the 
€ars of the deaf. When He thus makes us behold 
and hear, He will finish the work and enable us to 
^ set ' our wandering hearts upon all that He will 
•show us. But the responsibility will still be ours to 
follow the enabling. 

It will act and react. The more we set our hearts 
the more He will show us ; and the more He shows 
us, -the more our hearts will surely there be fixed. 

* -^// that I shall shew thee.' What a vista of 
revelation opens before us ! ' He shall take of Mine 
and shall shew it unto you,'^ — My love. My grace, 
My wisdom. My acts, My covenant, My goodness. 
My glory! He *will shew thee the truth.'* He 
* will shew thee great and mighty things, which 
thou knowest not.' ^ ' He will shew you things- to 
come.'^ Do we not feel like little children, 
wondering, in delighted expectation, what it is that 
we are going to see ? 

Like little children, too, we have been brought 
hither, on purpose that He may show us all this. 
^ Hither,' to the very place, the very point, where 
we now are. We did not come of ourselves ; we 
were ' brought. ' Very likely we should have gone 
to some other place, and aimed at some other point. 
But He brought us hither with gracious intent of 
revelation. It may have been a stiff climb up the 
^very high mountain ; '^ but who minds that, if they 
feally believe in the promised view ? 

1 John X. 16. 2 Isa. lii. 6. 3 John xvi. 15. 

* Ps, xvii. 7; ib, ciii. 7; ib. xxv. 14 ; Ex. xxxiii. 18, 19 ; Dan. xi. 2r 
5 Jer, xxxiii. 3. 6 John xvi. 13. ^ Ezek. xl. 2. 



154 l?o^al CommanDmentg* 

As commands always lead up to privileges, sa 
privileges again lead on to further commands. Not 
for ourselves alone are we to * see ' and ' hear.' We 
are to declare all that we see.^ When we have seen 
the house, we are to ' shew the house. '^ When we 
have seen the Saviour, we are to make known abroad 
the saying which was told us concerning Him.* 
When we have seen the King, we are to ^ tell it out ' 
that He reign eth. ' Hear with thine ears, and go 
. . . and speak. ' * ' What I tell you in darkness, 
that speak ye in light.' ^ 

Do not let us begin quibbling about how much 
we can tell, or how much we ought to tell. Let us 
very simply and very humbly bow before this * His 
commandment,' and ask Him to enable us to obey 
it exactly as He means us to obey it, neither losing 
the spirit in the letter nor ignoring the letter in the 
spirit.* 

Lord, speak to me, that I may speak 

In living echoes of Thy tone ; 
As thou hast sought, so let me seek 

Thy erring children, lost and lone. 

Oh teach me. Load, that I may teach 
The precious things Th( u Host impart; 

And wing my words that they may reach 
The hidden depths of many a heart. 

Oh fill me with Thy fulness, Lord, 

Until my very heart o'ertlow. 
In kindling thought and glowing word, 

Thy love to tell, Thy praise to show. 



1 I John i. 3. 2 Ezek. xliii. 10. ' Luke ii. IV. 

4 Ezek. iii. 10, 11. ^ Matt. x. 27. « 2 Cor. iw. 15. 



^elllnfi of tbe IbanD ot (3ob. 155 



TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 



^ Celling of tbe 1ban& of 6ob» 

* Then I told them of the hand of my God which was good 
upon me ; as also the king's words that he had spoken unto 
me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So they 
strengthened their hands for this good work.' — Neh. ft. i8. 

''T^HEN they that feared the Lord spake often 
■1- one to another.'^ Yet many hold back from 
what they call * talking about religion,' under 
colour that they fear it too often leads to talking 
about self. And yet, what about the general con- 
versation which is about * other things,'^ not 'the 
things which are Jesus Christ's ' ?^ Are the ' other 
things' free from self and wholly profitable? Is it 
* with grace, seasoned with salt ' ? Yet this is what 
we are commanded that our speech should ' always ' 
be.* 

Let us lay aside this unscriptural notion of ' talk- 
ing about religion,' which may only be controversy 
and criticism, and see what our Lord would have us 
talk about. The sum of our conversation should be, 
as recorded of Anna, ' She . . . spake of Him.'^ 

1 Mai. iii, i6. 2 Mark iv. 19. 3 Phil. ii. 21, 

■* Job. XV. 3; Col. iv. 6. ^ Luke ii. 38. 



156 TRo^ai commanC)ment0, 

Here is our keynote, and what wealth of melody 
and fulness of harmony spring from it ! — the melo- 
dies of His word ' in linked sweetness, long drawn 
out,' for the right hand; the harmonies of His 
works, in ^ver-varying marvels, for the left. Why, 
we have topics for all eternity, much more for our 
occasional hours and minutes of converse, unfold- 
ing more and more as we receive more and more of 
His fulness ! 

But there is the point. If we do not want ta 
' speak of Him,'^ let us beware of plausibly persuad- 
ing ourselves that it is because we do not want to 
speak about ourselves. Let us be honest, and own 
that the vessel does not overflow because it is not 
very full of faith and love.' Christ said, ^Out of 
the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.'^ 
Men say, ' No such thing ! one does not speak 
when one's heart is full ! ' Yet ' let God be true, 
but every man a liar,'* and let us see whether our 
unwillingness to speak of Him does not arise from 
our having nothing to say. 

Nehemiah had something to tell. * I told them of 
the hand of my God which was good upon me.'^ 
Nothing about his ' own arm,' but 'Thy right hand 
and Thine arm,' and what that had done, the won- 
derful answer to his prayer, and the way made plain 
before his face.^ And see how it stirred up his 
listeners forthwith ! They said, ' Let us rise up and 
build. So they strengthened their hands for this 
good work.'^ Have we nothing to tell to those 



1 John i. 16. 2 Eccles. xi. 3. ^ Matt. xii. ,»*- 

•* Rom. iii. 4, 5 Neh. ii, iS. 

.« Ps xliv. 3 ; Neh. i. 10; ib. ii. 4, 8. 7 Neh, ii. 18. 



i 



XLcllim ot tbe IbanD ot (SoD, 157 

whom we meet this day of what the hand of our 
God has done?^ 

David said, ' Come and hear, . . . and I will 
declare what He hath done for my soul; '^ and no 
doubt then, as now, the story of His gracious doings 
resulted in stimulus and blessing to other souls. 
When thus 'confession with the mouth is made,' it 
is very, very often 'unto salvation '^ for the listeners. 

We must first know and ' consider how great 
things He hath done for' us;* and then the voice 
of Jesus says not only 'Skew,' but ' Te// how great 
things the Lord hath done for thee,'^ that thus show- 
ing, and thus telling, ' the communication of thy 
faith may become effectual by the acknowledging 
of every good thing which is in you in Christ 
Jesus. '^ 

We have also less personal but not less vivid testi- 
mony to bear. ' The Lord hath done great things 
for us, whereof we are glad,''^ will put a new song 
in many another's mouth, ^ and confirm their faith 
in the living God. Thus did Moses, and the result 
was not only that Jethro rejoiced for all the good- 
ness which the Lord had done,^ but that he rose to 
the grand confession, 'Now I know that Jehovah is 
greater than all gods.'^° 

It is not to be only a one-sided telling, but a free 
and pleasant interchange ; for we are distinctly 
commanded, ' Talk ye of all His wondrous works.' 
Who can exhaust that 'all\'^^ While we 'talk 
together of all these things, '^^ communing together 

1 Ps. Ixxvii. 12. 2 Ps. Ixvi. i6. 3 Rom, x. lo, 

^ I Sam. xii. 24. 6 Mark v. 19 ; Luke viii, 39. ^ Philem. 6. 

7 Ps. cxxvi. 3. 8 Ps. xl. 3. 9 Ex. xviii. 8. 

10 Ex. xviii. II. W Ps. cv. 2; ib. Ixxvii. 12. 12 Luke xxiv. 14. 

II 



fSS 1Ro\>al CommanDments, 

like the disciples on the Emmaus road, how often 
does Jesus Himself draw near and go with us ! I 
think He always does, only our eyes are not always 
open to recognize Him. Verily, in keeping of this 
commandment (and it is a commandment), ' there 
is ^r<?^/ reward.'^ 

' Make me to understand the way of Thy pre- 
cepts : so shall I talk of Thy wondrous works.' 

Have you not a word for Jesus ? not a word to say for Him ? 
He is listening through the chorus of the burning seraphim ! 
He is listening ; does He hear you speaking of the things of 

earth, 
Only of its passing pleasure, selfish sorrow, empty mirth ? 
He has spoken words of blessing, pardon, peace, and love to 

you, 
Glorious hopes and gracious comfort, strong and tender, sweet 

and true ; 
Does He hear you telling others something of His love untold, 
Overflowings of thanksgiving for His mercies manifold ? 

1 Ps. xix. II ; ib. cicix. 37. 



\ 



trelling of tbe Ifting's '!iraot68. 159 



TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 



JTellfnG of tbe Iking's Morbs. 

*Then I told them of . . . the king's words that he had 
spoken unto me. And they said, Let us rise up and build. So 
they strengthened their hands for this good work.' — Neh. 
ii. 18. 

HOW naturally we should not only treasure, but 
idly any royal words spoken to ourselves! 
They would be more to us than any other utterances, 
and they would ensure the interest of our listeners. 
How natural for Nehemiah to tell of the king's 
words which he had spoken unto him, though only 
an earthly and alien sovereign ! 

Now, ought it not to be just as natural, delightful, 
and interesting to tell of the words of our own, our 
heavenly King, especially when He has commanded, 
^ He that hath My word, let him speak my word 
faithfully ' ? ^ Not that we can ever tell all that 
passes in the secret audience chamber ; nor would 
it be well that we should try to do so : for ' the 
secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him."' 
The King has gifts for us with shining inscriptions 
which ' no man knoweth saving he that receiveth ' * 
them, whispers which cannot resound in words. 

1 Jer. xxiii. 28. 2 Ps. xxv. 14. 3 Rev. ii. 17; Prov, xvii. 8. 



i6o TRo^al Commandments, 

But very much, perhaps most, of His gracious 
communications to the soul come in the very form 
which is most easily grasped, remembered, and re- 
peated — His own written words brought to 
our remembrance by His good Spirit, and 
applied to our conscious or unconscious need.^ 
Do not let us give our own memories the credit, in- 
stead of giving Him the praise, when He so kindly 
sends any of His own words freshly and forcibly 
into our minds. Have we not often defrauded 
Him of the glory due unto His name^ in this 
matter, by mistaking His voice for our mere obser- 
vation or recollection? 

Now it is these words of the King, spoken to our 
hearts as they are not spoken to the world, which 
we may profitably tell others, thus becoming ' the 
Lord's messenger in the Lord's message,'^ and 
spreading the knowledge of His words. Nehemiah 
did not tell of the king's words which he had 
spoken unto somebody else, but * which He had 
spoken unto me. ' So, • if we would tell^ the 
King's words, we must first hear them. Ask that, 
like Ezekiel, the Spirit may enter into us when 
He speaks unto us, so that we may hear Him 
that speaks unto us.* ^ These words shall be 
in thine heart; ' ^ and- then, after that, comes the 
command : * Talk of them when thou sittest 
in thine house, and when thou walkest by 
the way. ' ^ 

Watch to see what He will say,^ and no fear but 

1 John xiv. 26; Acts xx. 35. 2 Ps. xxix. 2. 3 Hag. i. 13. 
•* Ezek. iii. 10. ^ Deut. vi. 6. 6 Deut. vi. 7. 

1 Hab. ii. I. 



ZcllinQ ot tbe Mwq's morDs. lOi 

that His words will be heard, and that more and 
more. For it is when He /la^/i spoken unto us that 
we shall be strengthened, and say, * Let my Lord 
speak.' ^ And then He will say more to us, and 
show us ' that which is noted in the Scripture of 
truth. '2 

It seems a truism to say that this telling of the 
King's words will be ever so much more useful and 
resultful than our own words. Yet do we always act 
upoHf this? When we try to ' speak a word for 
Jesus '^ to a friend, does it not sometimes seem as if 
we were a little ' ashamed of His words ' ? ^ Is there 
not sometimes a little shrinking from giving a text? 
Has it not seemed an easier course to talk about a 
sermon ? If we have visited a cottage, have we not 
sometimes thought our duty discharged by a little 
general good advice and kindly sympathy, and not 
always ' told them of the King's words,' which are 
spirit and life,^ and which should not have returned 
void ^ — seed words, by which dead souls might have 
been born again; ' sincere milk,' by which babes 
in Christ might ' grow ' ?^ 

Surely there is no more precious talent entrusted 
to us,^ none with which we may trade with more 
certain success and splendid increase, than these 
words of our King. What we hear from Him let 
us commit to others, ' that they may be able to 
teach others also.'^ A simple text thus passed on 
(and \vho cannot -do this!) may be the immediate 
means of wonderful spiritual help and quickening, 

1 Dan. X. 19. 2 Dan. x. 21. 3 Jer. xxiii. 28. 

■* Mark viii. 38. 5 John vi. 63. 6 Jga. Iv. 11. 

7 1 Pet. i. 23; ib. ii. 2. 8 Matt. xxv. 16, 9 2 Tim. ii. 2. 



1 62 IRo^al Commandments* 

and ' the comfort wherewith we ourselves are com- 
forted of God ' (not some otherwise concocted 
comfort) may comfort many * which are in any 
trouble/^ without even one word of man as its 
vehicle. 

Yes, we have a word for Jesus ! Living echoes we will be 
Of Thine own sweet words of blessing, of Thy gracious 

* Come to Me.' 
Jesus, Master ! yes, we love Thee, and to prove our love would 

lay 
Fruit of lips which Thou wilt open, at Thy blessed feet to-day. 
Many an effort it may cost us, many a heart-beat, many a fear, 
But Thou knowest, and will strengthen, and Thy help is always 

near. 
Give us grace to follow fully, vanquishing our faithless shame, 
Feebly it may be, but truly, witnessing for Thy dear name. 



TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 



jevil Speafting. 

* Speak not evil one of another, brethren.' — ^Jas. iv. II. 

ONE of the most difficult of *His command- 
ments,'^ and yet one which is in a peculiar 
degree ' for our good ' and personal happiness, as 
well as for those around us ! The more difficult, the 
more need of grace j and the more need, the more 
the full supply.^ 

^ 2 Cor. i. 4. 2 Deut. x. 13. ^ 2 Cor. xii. 9 ; Phil. iv. 19. 



jBvii Speafting. 163 

Well might St. Paul say, ' Put them in mind to 
speak evil of no man,'^ for do we not easily fail to 
keep this in mind ? The command is ' exceeding 
broad j'^ let us not seek to narrow it, but humbly 
bow to our Master's distinct orders in all their ex- 
actness. 

Do we really wzs/i to know them fully, that we 
may obey fully ? Then what are they ? ' Speak evil 
of no man.'^ Shall we venture practically to say, 
'Y^, Lord, except oi So-and-so'? 

* Laying aside all evil speakings.'* Does not this 
include the very least ? 

* Let all bitterness, . . . and evil speaking, be 
put away from you ;'^ then does He give us leave to 
cherish even one little hidden root of that bitter- 
ness from which the evil speaking springs?® 

* Put away ' implies resolute action in the mat- 
ter, — have we even tried to * put away alP ? 

But this great clause of the * royal law '^ is 
broader still: *Let none of you imagine evil in 
your hearts against his neighbour.'^ And the 
characteristic of that charity, without which we are 
only 'sounding brass' and 'nothing,' is, that it 
'thinketh no evil. '^ Is not this the root from which 
the far-poisoning fruit springs? We have first diso- 
beyed another order: 'Whatsoever things are of 
good report; . . . think on these things. '^° 
Instead of that, we ' think ' about the bad reports 
that we may have heard ; we develop the unkind 



1 Titus iii. 2. ^ Ps. cxix. 96. 3 Titus iii. 2. 

4 1 Pet. ii. I. 6 Eph. iv. 31. 6 Heb. xii. 15, 

T Jas. ii. 8. 8 Zech. vii, 10; ib. viii. 17. 

* I Cor. xiii. i ; ib. xiii. 2 ; ib. xiii. 5. 10 Phil. iv. 8. 



1 64 IRoigal Commandments* 

hint into suspicion, and perhaps into accusation, by 
thinking about it, instead of thinking on and think- 
ing out the probable ' other side ' of the case. 
This thinking has tempted us not to * refrain our 
tongue ;'^ aad thus we have set some one else 
'■ thinking,' and thereby to more speaking evil one 
of another. At last the little fire has kindled a 
great matter,^ and we come ourselves and bring 
others under the condemnation of taking up ' a 
reproach against his neighbour,'^ instead of not 
enduring nor receiving it (see the striking mar- 
ginal reading). And what is the just penalty 
annexed by implication ? Not to abide in His taber- 
nacle, not to dwell in His holy hill !* 

How very often we speak evil of things which we, 
more or less, * understand not '° — ah, even of 
' things which they know not ' ! ^ — instead of obey- 
ing another part of the royal law, ' Judge nothing 
before the time, until the Lord come, '7 when the 
very person whQm we have been condemning shall 
' have praise of God ! ' This often arises from diso- 
bedience to two other plain commands: 'Debate 
thy cause with thy neighbour himself, and discover 
not a secret to another :'^ and, ' go and tell him his 
fault between thee and him alone.^^ Yet away we 
go, and tell somebody else about it instead ! 

Let us guard against the negative form of evil 
speaking, generally the most dangerous and cruel, 
even when the most thoughtless. Absalom was ex- 
tremely clever in this. Who could quote any actual 

1 1 Pet. iii. lo. 2 Jas. iii. 5. 3 Ps. xv. 3. 

< Ps. XV. I. 5 2 Pet. ii. 12. 6 fude 10. 

7 I Cor. iii. 5. 8 Prov. XXV. 9. 8 Matt, xviii. 15. 



Evil Speaftin^. 165 

evil speaking against his royal father?^ Who could 
charge him with speaking evil of dignities ? ^ And 
yet by insinuation, by his way of putting things, by 
his very manner, he wrought a thousand-fold more 
cruel harm than any amount of speaking out could 
possibly have done. Oh to be watchful as to such 
omissions to speak well, as amount to speaking evil ! 
watchful as to the eloquence of even a hesitation, 
watchful as to the forcible language of feature and 
eyej. 

Of course the question arises : ' But what about 
cases in which wrong-doing must be spoken of for 
the sake of truth and justice?' Clear as crystal are 
our instructions here : i. We are to speak 'the 
truth. '^ The truth, not such part of it as will best 
prove our case, and nothing else! Not what we 
suppose to be the truth. 2. 'In love.' Does all our 
testimony stand this test? 3. 'In the name of the 
Lord Jesus.'* Would not this check many a word 
against another? 4. 'To the glory of God.'° Fail- 
ure in any one of these four rules brings us in 
guilty of sin. Oh may He give us grace to keep our 
heart with all diligence,^ and Himself set a watch 
this day before our mouth, and keep the door of our 
lips ! ^ May we cease to ' reason with unprofitable 
talk, or with speeches wherewith we can do no 
good.'^ 

Take my lips, and let them be 
Filled with messages from Thee. 

1 2 Sam. XV. 3-5, 2 2 Pet. ii. lo. ' Eph. iv. 15. 

4 Col. iii. 17. 5 I Cor. x. 31. ^ Prov. iv. 23. 

^ Ps. cxli. 3. 8 Job XV. 4. 



i66 IRosai Commandments. 



TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 



Ibinbering* 

* Lest we should hinder the gospel of Christ.' — i Cor. ix. 12. 

MANY an active and willing helper in the 
Church is too often an unconscious hinderer 
of the gospel. Let us each try to find out how we 
may have hindered, that we may do so no more. 

A vexation arises, and our expressions of impa- 
tience hinder others from taking it patiently. Dis- 
appointment, ailment, or even weather depresses 
usj and our look or tone of depression hinders 
others from maintaining a cheerful and thankful 
spirit. We let out a fearing or discouraged remark, 
and another's hope and zeal is wet-blanketed. 
* What man is there that is fearful and faint- 
hearted ? let him go and return unto his house, lest 
his brethren's heart faint as well as his heart.' ^ 

We say an unkind thing, ^ and another is hindered 
in learning the holy lesson of charity that thinketh 
no evil.^ We say a provoking thing, ^ and our sister 
or brother is hindered in that day's effort to be 
meek. * Make straight paths iox your feet, lest that 
which is lame be turned out of the way.'^ 

1 Deut. XX. 8; Judg. vii. 3. 2 Jas. iv. 11. 

3 I Cor. xiii, 5. ^ Jas. i. 26. 5 Heb. xii. 13. 



IbinDertng. - 167 

We yield an inch in some doubtful matter, and 
another is emboldened to take an ell. We do an 
inexpedient thing, and another improves upon the 
supposed example, and feels justified in doing an 
unlawful thing.' ' Abstain from all appearance of 
evil.'^ * Let not your good be evil spoken of.'^ 

We miss an opportunity of speaking * a word for 
Jesus ; ' and our pleasant, commonplace talk has 
checked a half-formed wish for something better, 
and'+iindered the light of the glorious gospel from, 
shining into a heart.* We do not heed the thought- 
ful look on some household face just after family 
prayer or public worship, and our needless chat 
about * earthly things '^ acts the fowls of the air. 
We make a critical remark about a preacher or 
writer, and it is brought back by the enemy in 
swift temptation, at the very moment when a word 
in season was about to find entrance.® * Them that 
were entering in, ye hindered.'^ Oh, terrible con- 
demnation ! * Let not those that seek Thee be con- 
founded for my sake.'^ 

We need, too, to be shown whether we are quite 
unconsciously hindering in even lesser ways; for 
many have little peculiarities, of which they are 
hardly or not at all aware, which nevertheless 
annoy, fidget, depress, or chill those with whom 
they have much intercourse, and thus hinder the 
calm reign of peace in their spirits. ^ Let not 
them that wait on Thee, O Lord God of hosts, be 
ashamed for my sake.'^ 

^ I Cor. X. 23; ib. viii. 13. 2 j Thess. v. 22. s Rom. xiv. 16. 

4 2 Cor, iv. 4. 5 Phil. iii. 19; Matt.xiii. 4. 

6Ps. cxix. 130. 7 Luke xi. 52. 8 Ps. Ixix. 6. ^ Ps. Ixix. 6. 

I 



it)S IRoi^al Commanoments. 

How sadly, too, we may hinder without word or 
act ! For wrong feeling is more infectious than 
wrong-doing ; especially the various phases of ill- 
temper — gloominess, touchiness, discontent, irrita- 
bility, — do we not know how catching these are ? 
If the Lord asked us, ' Wherefore discourage ye the 
heart of the children of Israel' in this way,, should 
we not be utterly without excuse ?^ What if he 
asked each hindered one, ' Who did hinder you ? '* 
— are our consciences sure that our names would 
escape mention ? 

Shall we not watch and pray that this day we 
may only help and not hinder in the least thing, 
and that no one may have virtually to say to us, 
* Hinder me not ' !^ May we never be the helpers 
of the great hinderer ! When ' Satan hindered * 
St. Paul, he probably found human agents.* 

Let us ask that the Lord Jesus would so perfectly 
tune our spirits to the key-note of His exceeding 
great love,^ that all our unconscious influence may 
breathe only of that love, and help all with whom 
we come in contact to obey the gospel of our Lord 
Jesus Christ.^ * And let us consider one another, to 
provoke unto love and to good works. '^ 

1 Num. xxxii. 7. * Gal. v. 7. 3 Gen. xxiv. 56. ' 

4 I Thess. ii. 18. * 2 Cor. iv. 10. 6 2 Thess. i. 8. 

■i Heb. X. 24. 



I 



Strenfitbenlns IbanDs* 169 



TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 



Strengtbening Ibanbe. 

* Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble 
knees.' — IsA. xxxv. 3. 

*T_JE that is not with Me is against Me : and he 

Aa that gatherethnot with Me scattereth.'^ So it 
is not enough merely not to hinder ; we must help : 
for not helping generally amounts to hindering. 
Perhaps we tried yesterday not to be hinderers ; to- 
day let us * go on to completeness/ and try to be 
helpers.^ 

' Strengthen ye the weak hands.' Plenty of these 
around us ; for where is one real worker who does 
not feel his weakness, even in very proportion to- 
what seems to us his strength ? ^ It does not the least 
follow that those who are altogether much stronger 
than ourselves are not perhaps realizing their weak- 
ness much more.* We ' should not think of such a 
thing* as aiming to strengthen their hands, and so 
very much mutual ministry is left undone. A little 
child may strengthen the hands of a giant and 
veteran in the faith, and it is just the giants and 

1 Luke xi. 23. 2 Heb. vi. 1 (Gr.). 

8 2 Cor. xii. z. < i Cor. ii. 3. 



lyo IRosal CommanDments. 

veterans who do no fsa.y to the more feeble members, 
' I have no need of you.' ^ 

' David sent to comfort Hanun by the hand of his 
servants.'^ St. Paul received the comfort of God 
by the coming of Titus, his * own son ' in the faith ;^ 
and he seems to have had a great deal of both com- 
fort and joy (which certainly are most strengthen- 
ing), at second hand, by the ' fervent mind toward ' 
him of the Corinthians, so that ^ exceedingly the 
more joyed we.' * 

Again, those very near us often need strengthen- 
ing ; are we right if they have practically to look 
farther for the strengthening which it might be ours 
to give ? There may be a spiritual application of 
providing specially for those of our own house. ^ 

Again, are there not sometimes such very ' weak 
hands,'® that we almost get tired of trying to 
strengthen them, and feel inclined to think it is no 
use dealing with such hopeless feebleness ? What 
if our Master did this to us ? 

How shall we set about it ? First, by prayer, as 
Aaron and Hur held up the hands of Moses. ^ 
' Helping together by prayer.'^ This reaches all. 
Who knows how much of the weakness of hands, 
which distresses or even annoys us, may be laid at 
our door because we talked about it instead of pray- 
ing about it ? Very likely, names will occur to us 
now ; then take those names at once to the Mighty 
One, and ask Him this morning to strengthen those 
weak hands and confirm those feeble knees.^ 



1 I Cor. xii. 21, 22. 2 2 Sam. x. 2. ^2 Cor. vii. 6 ; Titus i. 4. 

4 2 Cor. vii. 7. 6 I Tim. v. 8. ^ Rom. xv. i. 

7 Ex. xvii. i». 8 2 Cor. i. 11. ^ Jas. v. 16. 



Strengtbenlng IbanDs* 171 

Secondly, by personal contact. I suppose we 
never come in contact with one who is really strong 
in the Lord^ without being strengthened, whether 
we feel it or not. But we should not be content 
with the unconscious influence which it is our sin- 
gular privilege to radiate. * Jonathan arose, and 
went to David in the wood, and strengthened his 
hand in God.'^ Arising always implies a little 
effort. Then make it! What are our orders? 

* Comfort ye, comfort ye My people, saith your 
GodT' ^ How are we to do it ? ^ Speak ye to the 
heart of Jerusalem.' * What comes from the heart 
goes to the heart. ^ Speak, -^ don't hint and beat 
about the bush. When the arrow is feathered with 
love and weighted with wisdom, it must fly straight. 
What are we to say ? ' Say ... Be strong, fear 
not ; behold, your God will come with vengeance, 
even God with a recompense ; He will come and 
save you.' ^ ' Cry unto her, that her warfare is ac- 
complished, that her iniquity is pardoned.'^ Ex- 
amine these two wonderful messages, and see if they 
do not actually include everything required for 
your fulfilment of this commandment. You may 
amplify them, but that is all. Take with you His 
words, and then you may say without presumption, 

* I would strengthen you with my mouth.' ^ 

Before we can really lift up other hands, our own 
must have been lifted up by His good Spirit,^ and 
our own feeble knees must have been confirmed by 
much bowing at His footstool.^ ' When thou art 

^ Eph, vi. 10. 2 I Sam. xxiii. i6. ^ Jga. xl. i. 

* Isa. xl. 2, margin, 5 Isa. xxxv. 4. ^ Isa. xl. 2. 

7 Job xvi. 5. 8 Heb. xii, 12, 13. 9 Eph. iii. 13, 16. 



172 IRo^al CommanDment6» 

converted, strengthen thy brethren.'^ 'Uphold 
me with Thy free Spirit. Then will I teach.' ^ It 
is the climax of the grand procession of promises 
in that magnificent close of the words of Eliphaz. 
If we acquaint ourselves with God,^ receive His 
law, return to Him, and put away iniquity, then 
'when men are cast down, then thou shalt say, 
There is lifting up.'^ 

May our record on high be : ' Thou hast strength- 
ened the weak hands. Thy words have upholden 
him that was falling, and thou hast strengthened 
the feeble knees.' 

Oh lead me, Lord, that I may lead 
The wandering and the wavering feet; 

Oh feed me, Lord, that I may feed 

Thy hungering ones with manna sweet. 

Oh strengthen me, that while I stand 
Firm on the Rock, and strong in Thee, 

I may stretch out a loving hand 
To wrestlers with the troubled sea. 

1 Luke xxii. 32. 2 Ps. H. 12, 13, 

3 Job xxii. 2i-«9, ^Job iv. 4. 



Seefting to jBiccU 173 



TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 



Seefting to jEyceU 

'Seek that ye may excel.' — i Cor. xiv. 12. 

AN almost startling command ; yet it is addressed 
to ' all that in every place call upon the 
name of Jesus Christ our Lord,'^ therefore unmis- 
takably to ourselves. 

Very likely our thoughts have been quite differ- 
ent from God's thoughts about it.^ We have been 
thinking it was useless to seek to excel, because we 
saw no likelihood of doing so ; that it was pre- 
sumptuous to think of such a thing ; that it was 
even positively wrong to aim at it; yet, all the time, 
there the commandment stood, ' Seek that ye may 
excel ! ' 

For its right fulfilment, there must be one pre- 
liminary and one object. The preliminary is, that 
we must be ' zealous of spiritual gifts, '^ It is only 
when we are coveting earnestly the best gifts* that 
the exercise and development of all others comes in 
its right place ; that is, we must be eagerly desiring 
and heartily striving and using His own means to 

1 I Cor. i. 2. 2 Isa. Iv. 8. 

3 I Cor. xiv. 12, 4 I Cor. xii. 31. 

\1 



174 IRoi^al CommanDments* 

grow in grace/ to receive always more and more 
of His fulness,^ more light and love, more faith and 
power, more, above all, of His Spirit. 

Even when this is the case, how often we set 
some human standard before us, and say : 'Ah ! if 
I only had half as much grace as So-and-so ! ' 
Comparing ourselves among ourselves, we are not 
wise;^ it is a fruitful source of limitation and hind- 
rance. We are not to aim at ' half as much grace,' 
nor even as much, but at excelling the fair self- 
chosen standard, which after all is so far below the 
* exceeding abundantly'* which He is able to do for 
us. Let us give it up, once for all, and strike out 
into God's more excellent way, and 'seek to 
excel. '^ Let us open our mouth wide that He may 
fill it,^ asking for such great gifts that His royal 
bounty may be magnified because of our very 
poverty ; ^ asking for such excellency of power that 
it may be seen to be of Him and not of us f ask- 
ing that He would so fulfil all the good pleasure of 
His goodness, that the name of our Lord Jesus 
Christ may be glorified in us.^ 

Then, the one object. * Seekest thou great things 
for thyself? seek them not.'^** But 'seek that ye 
may excel to the edifying of the Church. ' 

Apart from this, seeking to excel would inevitably 
become sin. Emulation, ambition, pride, would 
come in like a flood; envying and strife would 
follow, ' leading to confusion and every evil work.'" 
'All things edify not,' — should not this guide the 

1 I Pet. ii. 2 ; 2 Pet. iii. 18. 2 John i. 16, s 2 Cor. x. 12. 

4 Eph. iii. 20. 5 I Cor. xii. 31. ^ pg. Ixxxi. 10. 

^ 2 Cor. ix. II. 8 2 Cor. iv. 7. 9 2 Thess. i. 11, 12, 

W Jer. xlv. 5. 11 Jas. iii. 16 ; i Cor. x. 23. 



Seeding to BjceU 175 

directions in which we seek to excel? For this end 
only let every good gift/ spiritual or mental, in- 
ward or even outward, be continually cultivated and 
carefully used. Let us this day and henceforth aim 
at nothing lower. 

Perhaps He grants us power to excel in some 
seemingly very little things, some little peculiar 
gifts which we don't think much of. ' He that is 
taithful in that which is least j"*'^ will be enabled to 
use even that for the edifying of some part of the 
Church. Those who have no hand in raising the 
strong pillars, may yet be called to give a delicate 
touch to the lily work which shall crown them.^ 

* To every man his work ;'* and in that, even if it is 
only running little errands for the skilled workmen, 
we may excel to the edifying of the Church. 

There are ^diversities of gifts, '^ but none are 
without any. ^ Every man hath his proper gift of 
God, one after this manner, and another after 
that.'^ If we think it humble to profess, or are 
humble enough really to believe, that we have but 
the * one talent,'^ that is the more reason why we 
should eagerly make the very most of it for our 
Lord ; for if it is only one, it is not our own, but 

* our Lord's money.' 

1 Jas. i. 17. 2 Luke xvi. lo. 3 j Kings vii. 22. 

4 Mark xiii. 34. 5 i Cor. xii. 4. 61 Cor. vii. 7. 

7 Matt. XXV. 15. 



17^ IRogal flomman&ments. 



TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 



Mbat tbc Mill of tbe Xor5 is, 

' Wherefore be ye not unwise, but understanding what the 
will of the Lord is.' — Eph. v. 17. 

ARE we not apt to connect the thoughts of 
God's will with efforts to submit to what is 
not very pleasant to us ? Is this fairy when all that 
He Himself tells us of His will should make us love 
and admire and rejoice in it ? Truly our thoughts 
are not His thoughts^ about it, or there would not 
be so many a sigh over that glorious petition, 'Thy 
will be done. " 

Let us see what He says it is, for He hath ' made 
known unto us the mystery of His will;'^ and in 
proportion as we are filled with the knowledge 
of it, shall we walk worthy of the Lord unto all 
pleasing.^ 

I. It was the good pleasure of His will to predes- 
tinate us unto the adoption of children,* that we 
should be His own ' sons and daughters,' His own 
*dear children.'^ And if He had told us no more 
than this, ought not * Thy will be done ' to peal 

1 Isa. Iv. 8. 2 Matt. vi. lo. 3 Eph. i. 9. 

< Col. i. 9 ; ib. i. 10. 6 Eph. i. 5. ^2 Cor. vi. 18 ; Eph. v. i. 



Mbat tbe mm of tbe XorD is. 177 

forth as an ' Amen chorus ' from all His adopted 
ones? 

2. It was the will of God our Father that the 
Lord Jesus Christ should give Himself for our sins, 
' that He might deliver us from this present evil 
world. '^ Jesus said, * Lo, I come to do Thy will,^ 
O God/ and ' gave Himself for us, that He might 
redeem us from all iniquity.'^ And day by day He 
is delivering those who believe that He ' doth de- 
liver,' and 'trust that He will yet deliver;'* for f/i/s 
is *the will of the Lord.' 

3. By this will we are sanctified.^ Sanctification is 
the continual fulfilling of the good pleasure of His 
goodness in us. It is the making us partakers of 
His holiness and of the divine nature itself. It is 
making us like Jesus, so that the life of Jesus may 
be manifest even in our mortal flesh.® It is grant- 
ing the desire, the thirst of thirsts, of every 
renewed heart. ^ And ' this is the will of God, even 
your sanctification !'^ 

4. It is the will of God in Christ Jesus concern- 
ing us, that in every thing we should give thanks, 
* always for all things.'^ This implies a life full of 
cause for praise, and full of power to praise ; — can 
any one describe a brighter ideal ? Yet this is the 
will of God concerning j^«. 

5. Perishing, failing, dying, — how the very words 
' everlasting life '^^ shine out to us in the darkness ! 
a resplendent gift purchased for us by the one trans- 
cendent gift of God !^^ It includes everlasting 

1 Gal. i. 4. 2 Heb. x. 9. 3 Titus ii. 14. 

< 2 Cor. i. 10. 5 Heb. x. 10. 6 2 Cor. iv. 11. 

7 Matt. V. 6. 81 Thess. iv. 3. 9 Eph. v, 20. 

10 John iii. 16. 1' 2 Cor. ix. 15. 



178 IRoigal Commandments* 

salvation, light, joy, love, glory; and it is for every 
one ' which seeth the Son and believeth on Him : ' 
for Jesus says, * This is the will of Him that sent 
Me.'^ 

6. Is not this enough ? is there yet a misgiving 
and a haunting fear lest we should lose this great 
gift ? Again the glorious will of God is our security ; 
for, though our numb hand might let it slip, we are 
ourselves in the grasp of a Hand which holds us 
and our eternal life too ; for, of all which the 
Father hath given Him, He 'shall lose nothing,'^ 
'not the least grain shall fall upon the earth,' not 
you, not I: for ' this is the Father's will.'^ 

7. Now for the climax; and this time it is the 
Son, our own Lord Jesus Christ, who tells His 
Father that He is one with Him, and then, in His 
own divine name, declares His divine Avill :* ' I will 
that they also whom Thou hast given Me, be with 
Me where I am.'^ This is the consummation of His 
will concerning us, that we should be for ever with 
the Lord!® Shall we like 'strangers'' 'submit to 
this' ? Shall we bow to this? Shall we dare to sigh 
over 'Thy will be done'? Shall we not rather 
'submit ourselves wholly to His holy will and pleas- 
ure,'^ bow under the very load of the benefits of 
His will in deepest adoration and intensest thanks- 
giving, and not wait for 'the happier shore,' but 
here and now sing out of the abundance of a simply 
believing heart, 'Thy will be done'?^ For truly it 
is ^ good will to men;' and may we be so ' trans- 

1 John vi. 40. 2 John vi, 39, 3 Amos ix. 9. 

^ John xvii. 22. 5 John xvii. 24. ^ x Thess. iv. 17. 

7 Ps. xviii. 44. 8 Ps. Ixviii. 19. ^ Luke ii. 14. 



•Mbat tbe Mill ot tbe XorO is. 179 

formed by the renewing of our minds,' that we may- 
daily and joyfully ' prove what is that good, and 
acceptable, and perfect will of God.'^ 

With quivering heart and trembling will 

The word hath passed thy lips, 
Within the shadow, cold and still, 

Of some fair joy's eclipse. 
* Thy will be done ! ' Thy God hath heard, 
And He will crown that faith-framed word. 

- Thy prayer shall be fulfilled, — but how ? 

His thoughts are not as thine; 
While thou wouldst only weep and bow, 

He saith, ' Arise and shine ! ' 
Thy thoughts were all of grief and night, 
But His of boundless joy and light. 

Thy Father reigns supreme above; 

The glory of His name 
Is Grace and Wisdom, Truth and Love, 

His will must be the same. 
And thou hast asked all joys in one, 
In whispering forth, * Thy will be done ! ' 

1 Rom. xii. 2. 



i8o IRo^al CommanDments* 



THIRTIETH DAY 



1bi0 Xaet Comman&ment^ 

* This do in remembrance of me.' — Luke xxii. 19. 

HIS last commandment ! Do we not desire to 
obey it in its very fullest meaning, to do ex- 
actly what He meant us to do, and all that He 
meant us to do in it?^ Let us pray that He may 
open our eyes to behold wondrous things in it, and 
enable us to rise through the letter to the spirit.^ 

It is not simply ^This do.'' We may obey so far 
month by month or week by week, and yet never 
•once have obeyed our Lord's dying wish or fulfilled 
His desire. He said, * This do in remembrance of 
Me. ' We cannot remember what we do not know. 
We must know the Lord Jesus Christ^ before we 
can truly remember Him at His table ; for He does 
not say that we are to do it in remembrance of what 
He said, or even of what He did. That is quite a 
different thing. We may remember what we have 
heard or read of Ridley and Latimer, and we might 
commemorate their martyrdom ; but we cannot 
remember them, because we never knew them, 

1 Ps. cxix. 19. 2 John vi. 63. ^ Phil. iii. 8. 



1bl0 Xast Commandment* i8i 

except as matter of history. But we know the 
Lord Jesus Christ as we know no man after the 
flesh. ^ * We do know that we know Him,'^ and 
* the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
Christ '^ is our very life ; it is the joy with which no 
stranger intermeddleth.* 

Without this personal knowledge of Him, there 
can be no true remembrance of Him in the Lord's 
Supper. Let us seek to ' know Him/ so that we 
maybe able to remember Him ; then the sweet re- 
membrance of Himself^ and His exceeding great 
love will include remembrance of the words and 
ways of the Lord Jesus f then it will arouse our love 
into a vivid reality of personal affection ; then He 
will draw nigh to us:^ for * Thou meetest Him 
that rejoiceth and worketh righteousness, those that 
remember Thee in Thy ways. '^ 

Have we not sometimes gone rather to get some- 
thing for ourselves than simply to remember Him ? 
and may not this account for some of the disap- 
pointment, which is no uncommon experience, that 
we did not run exactly in the way of His command- 
ment ?' We went to get strengthening and refresh- 
ing. We went perhaps vaguely expecting some 
peculiar manifestation of Himself, some almost 
sensible consciousness of His presence which is 
quite outside of His written promise or command. 
We went expecting something because we went, a 
sort of reward in and for the outward act. W^e re- 
membered our weakness, and our wants, and our 

1 2 Cor. V. i6. 2 I John ii. 3. 83 Pet. iii. 18. 

■* Prov. xiv. 10. ^ Cant. i. 4. 6 John xiv. 26, xvi. 4. 

J Lam. iii. 57. 8 jsa. Ixiv. 5. 8Ps. cxix. 33. 



f82 IRo^ai Commandments. 

wishes, and we forgot that He commanded ' one 
thing ' — the remembrance of Himself. Shall we not 
ask the Holy Spirit next time to fix our hearts, so 
that the whole desire of our soul may be ' to Thy 
name, and to the remembrance of Thee ' ?^ 

There was no ' remembrance ' in that first cele- 
bration of the Lord's Supper, that first solemn 
evening communion : for He was bodily present as 
the Master of the feast. ^ The very word was a 
shadow cast before of the time when He should ' be 
taken from them.'^ But now 'the bright light 
which was in the cloud'* shines all along the dim 
waiting time, revealing * this same Jesus ;'^ for He 
whom we specially * remember ' at His table, is 
with us ^alway,' all the days, '■ the same yesterday, 
to-day, and forever.'^ He loves us now as He loved 
us when He prayed for * all them which shall be- 
lieve on Me'^ in ' the same night in which He was 
betrayed.'^ He loves us now as He loved us when 
He would not come down from the cross to save 
Himself.^ 

Love is the link between the remembrance and 
the anticipation ; for the two melt into each other, 
and form one hallowed radiance of present great 
delight. ' For as often as ye eat this bread, and 
drink this cup, ye do shew the Lord's death till He 
come.'^^ So perhaps some will be showing it forth 
at the very moment when He comes ! What a 
transition of unimaginable blessedness ! It is 
almost too dazzlingly beautiful to think of. 

1 Isa.xxvi. 8. 2 Mark xiv. 17; Matt. xxvi. 20; Lukexxii. 11. 

3 Matt. ix. 15. 4 Job xxxvii. 21, 5 Acts i. 11. 6 Heb. xiii. 8. 

f John xvii. 20. • 8 i Cor. xi. 23. ^ Mark xv. 30. 

10 I Cor. xi. 26. 



1bi6 %n6t CommanDment, 183 

Luther said : ' I feel as if Jesus Christ died yes- 
terday.' So fresh, so vivid, be our love and thank- 
fulness ! But may we add : ' And as if He were 
coming to-day ! ' Then our lives would indeed be 
rich in remembrance and radiant in anticipation/ 
* looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious 
appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus 
Christ; who gave Himself for us, that He might 
redeem us from all iniquity.'^ 

«• According to Thy gracious word. 

In deep humility, 
This will I do, my gracious Lord, 
I will remember Thee. 

Remember Thee, and all Thy pains. 

And all Thy love to me ; 
Yes, while a breath, a pulse reiriains. 

Will I remember Thee. 

James MoNTGOMEav. 



THIRTY-FIRST DAY. 



^be (Breat IRewarb* 

* In keeping of them there is great reward.' — Ps. xix. ii, 

NOT, * Because I keep them I shall have a great 
reward;' but 'In keeping of them there is 
great reward. ' God Himself wants us to keep them, 

1 Ps. cxlv. 7. 2 Titus ii. 13, 14. 



1 84 IRoigal Commandments. 

because He loves us. He says : ' O that there were 
such an heart in them, that they would fear Me, 
and keep all My commandments always, that it 
might be well with them ' ! ^ This reward is an indis- 
putable, though too often not fully recognized, fact 
of every Christian's experience. That we may have 
to keep His commandments in the very teeth of 
trial, loss, opposition, or distress does not touch 
the matter f for, nevertheless, not afterward, but in 
the keeping of His words. He takes care to keep 
His word that there shall be great reward. 

Ifthereisnot great reward, it only shows that 
there is not real keeping. The essence of true 
keeping of God's commandments is love.^ (See 
how many times keep and love are joined together 
in all parts of His word.)* Now, if we have only 
been obeying in mere form and letter, because we 
were afraid to disobey, this is nofC^Q heart-obedience 
which is always crowned with blessings. So, if we 
cannot quite set to our seal that God is true to this 
promise,^ let us be quite sure tlmt it is because we 
have not fulfilled His condition. And let us now, 
at once, ask Him to write His laws in our hearts,^ 
and so to shed abroad His love in us by the Holy 
Ghost, '^ that we may begin at once to keep them for 
very love to our glorious Lawgiver and Mediator.^ 
Then we shall know for ourselves that they are 
not grievous,^ but that they are * for our good, 
always. ^'^^ 



1 Deut. V. 29. 2 Matt. xix. 29, s John xiv. 24. 

4 Ex. XX. 6; Deut. xi. i ; John xiv. 15, etc. 6 John iii. 33. 

6 Heb. viii. 10. " Rom. v. 5. 8 Deut. v. 27. 

9 I John V. 3. ^0 Deut. vi. 24. 



trbe (Breat IRewarD. 185 

Yet surely we may appeal to the experience of 
every one of the King's servants, that, however 
feeble and imperfect our obedience has been, we do 
know something about ^ great reward,' not /or it, 
but m it. As in the days of Hezekiah, when the 
hand of God was to give them one heart to do the 
commandment of the king, the result was great 
gladness, great joy, great blessing, and great pros- 
perity, so is it now in the spiritual reign of our 
King.^ Not outward and visible reward, though 
even that He very often adds, far more exceeding ; 
but inward and spiritual reward. 

Not in general only, but in minutest particulars. 
Having pledged Himself to this, He is *not un- 
righteous to forget '^ the least act of Spirit-wrought 
obedience. Sometimes he puts such wonderful 
sweetness into the doing of or the refraining from 
some little thing for His sake, that we wonder 
what makes us so happy about it, and cannot but 
be conscious that it is not exactly one's mere 
natural feeling. Is not this a precious experience 
of * great reward,' all the greater because it came 
through some very little thing? 

Let us put together into a bright bit of Bible- 
mosaic the scattered gems which are part of this 
great present reward, ' the promise of the life that 
now is,'^ the hundred-fold which we are to receive 
^ now in fMs time' :* — i. Strength: ' Therefore shall 
ye keep all the commandments . . . that ye may 
be strong j*^ for ' the way of the Lord is strength to 

1 2 Chron. xxx. 12, 21, 26; ib. xxxi. 10, 21 ; Job xxxvi. 11. 

2 Heb. vi. 10. 3 I Tim. iv. 8. * Mark x. 30. 
6 Deut. xi. 8. 



1 86 IRo^al Commandments. 

the upright!^ 2. Safety : * Whoso keepeth the com- 
mandment shall feel no evil thing/^ much less be 
hurt by it ! 3. Liberty: *I will walk at liberty: 
for I seek Thy precepts.'^ Every commandment 
kept is a fetter of Satan broken by the grace and 
might of the * stronger than he.'* 4. Peace: 
' Great peace have they that love Thy law. '^ And 
in proportion as we hearken to His commandments, 
does our peace flow as a river.^ Disobedience dries 
it all up instantly. 5. Life and Health: Perhaps 
more literally than we suppose; for it stands to 
reason there is less friction and wear and tear even 
of our nerves and physique when we keep His peace- 
bearing commands to trust and not be afraid/ to 
be without carefulness and anxious thought.^ * Let 
thine heart keep My commandments : for length of 
days, and long life, and peace, shall they add to 
thee.'» at is your life.''" at shall be health. ' " 'I 
know that His commandment is life everlasting.'^' 
6. Knowledge : ' If any man will do His will, he 
shall know of the doctrine. '^^ af ye continue in 
My word, ... ye shall know the truth.' 7. 
Answered Prayers: * Whatsoever we ask, we 
receive of Him, because we keep His command- 
ments. ''* 8. Gladness: Again and again we find 
this the result of seeking out and keeping the com- 
mands of God.^^ 9. The Father' s Love : ' He that 
hath My commandments, and keepeth them, he it 
is that loveth Me : and he that loveth Me shall be 

1 Prov. X. 29. 2 Eccles, viii. 5. 8 Ps. cxix. 45. < Luke xi. 22. 

5 Ps. cxix. 165. 6 Isa. xlviii. 18. 7 Ps. Ixii. 8. 

8 I Pet. V. 7; I Cor. vii. 32; Matt. vi. 25-34. ^ Prov. iii. i, 2. 

10 Deut. xxxii. 47. l^ Prov. iii. 8. ^2 John xii. 50. 

13 John vii. 17. l* John viii. 31, 32. i^ j John iii. 22. 



Zbc Great IRewarD. 187 

loved of My Father.'* 10. TAe Manifestation of 
Jesus : 'And I will love Him, and will manifest 
Myself unto Him.'^ 11. The indwelling of the 
Triune God: 'And we will come unto him, and 
make our abode with him.'^ 12. The Witness of 
the Spirit to this indw.elling : ' He that keepeth His 
commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. 
And hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the 
Spirit which He hath given us.' * 

' What shall I more say ? '^ Verily, in keeping of 
them there is great reward ! 



Ps. cxii. I. 

1 Neh. Tiii. 14, 17, etc. 2 John xiv. 21. 

* John xiv. sj. ^ i John iii. 34. 5 Heb. xi. jc. 



ROYAL BOUNTY 



OR 



KVKNING THOUGHTS 



FOR 



tEbe Iking's (Buest» 
13 



I 



FIRST DAY. 



*And King Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her 
desire, whatsoever she asked, beside that which Solomon gave 
her of his royal bounty.' — i Kings x. 13. 

ALL God's goodness to us is humbling. The more 
He does for us, the more ready we are to say, 
' I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, 
and of all the truth, which Thou hast shewed unto 
Thy servant.'^ The weight of a great answer to 
prayer seems almost too much for us.^ The grace of 
it is ' too wonderful '^ for us. It throws up in such 
startling relief the disproportion between our little, 
poor, feeble cry, and the great shining response of 
God's heart and hand, that we can only say : * Who 
am I, O Lord God, that Thou hast brought me 
hitherto? Is this the manner of man, O Lord God ? '^^ 
But it is more humbling still, when we stand face 
to face with great things which the Lord hath done 
for us and given us,^ which we never asked at all,** 
never even thought of asking — royal bounty, with 
which not even a prayer had to do. It is so hum- 

1 Gen. xxxii. lo. 2 Luke v. 8, 9. 3 Job xlii. 3. 

4 2 Sam. vii. 18. ^ Ps. cxxvi. 3. 61 Kings iii. 13. 



192 IRosal :sounti2» 

bling to get a view of these, that Satan tries to set 
up a false humility to hinder us from standing still 
and considering how great things the Lord hath 
done for us ;^ thus he also contrives to defraud our 
generous God of the glory due unto His name.^ 

For, of course, we do not praise for what we will 
not recognize. 

Let us try to baffle this device to-day, and give 
thanks for the overwhelming mercies^ for which we 
never asked. ' Blessed be the Lord, who daily 
loadeth us with benefits.'* Just think of them de- 
liberately (they are far too many to think of all in a 
flash); and how many did we actually ask for? 
Even that poor little claim was never brought to 
bear on thousands of them. 

^To begin at the beginning, we certainly did not 
ask Him to choose us in Christ Jesus before the 
world began, ^ and to predestinate us to be con- 
formed to the image of His Son J Was not that 
* royal bounty ' indeed ? 

Then, we certainly did not ask Him to call us by 
His grace f for before that call, we could not have 
wished, much less asked, for it.* Then, who taught 
us to pray,^° and put into our entirely corrupt and 
sinful hearts" any thought of asking Him for any- 
thing at all ?^^ Was not all this ' royal bounty? ' 

Look back at our early prayers. Has He not 
more than granted them ? did we even know how 
much He could do for us ? did He not answer prayer 



1 I Sam. xii. 7, 24. 2 Ps.xxix. 2. 3 Isa. Ixiii. 7. 

4 Ps. Ixviii. 19 ; ib. ciii. 2. ^ 1 Thess. ii. 13. 6 Eph. i. 4. 

7 Rom. viii. 29. 8 2 Tim. i. 9. ^ Rom. i. 6. 

10 Luke xi. i. 11 Job xxxvii. 19. 12 Rom. viii. 26. 



^bc.lRosal :©ountB» 193 

by opening out new vistas of prayer before us, giv- 
ing us grace to ask for more grace, faith to plead 
for more faith ?^ Why, it is all * royal bounty' 
from beginning to end ! And this is going on now, 
and will go on forever, when He has brought us 
with gladness and rejoicing into His own palace.'* 
Not till then shall we understand about those riches 
of glory in Christ Jesus,^ out of which He is even 
now pouring out the supply of all our need. 

Tlje marginal reading is very beautiful ; it is, 
* that which he gave her according to the hand of 
King Solomon.' We may link this with David's 
grateful words : ''According to Thine own heart hast 
Thou done all these great things ; '* and again : 
^ Thou hast dealt well with Thy servant, O Lord, 
according to Thy word.''^ His hand. His heart. 
His word — what an immeasurable measure of His 
bounty ! The great hatid that holds the ocean in 
its hollow ^ is opened to satisfy our desire,^ and to 
go beyond that exceeding abundantly,® giving us 
according to the heart that ' so loved the world, '^ and 
according to the word^^ which is so deep and full 
that all the saints that ever drew their hope and joy 
from it cannot fathom its ever upspringing fountain. 
Perhaps nobody knows the Bible well enough to 
know the full significance of saying, ' Be it unto me 
according to Thy word ; '^^ how much less can we 
imagine what shall be the yet unrevealed royal 
bounty according to His heart of infinite love and 



1 John i. 16 ; Rom. i. 17 ; Luke xvii. 5. 2 pg, xlv. 15. 

8 Phil. iv. 19. * 2 Sam. vii. 21. ^ Ps. cxi.x. 65. 

* Isa. xl. 12. 7 Ps. cxlv. 16. 8 Eph. iii. 20. 

* John iii. 16. 10 John iv. 11, 14. ^^ Luke i. 38. 



194 IRo^al :fi3ount^. 

hand of infinite power ! ' What I do thou knowest 
not now, but thou shalt know hereafter.'^ 'And ye 
shall ... be satisfied, and praise the name of the 
Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrously with 
you.'^ 

When this passing world is done, 

When has sunk yon glaring sun, 

When we stand with Christ in gl^^ry, 

Looking o'er life's finished story, 

Then, Lord, shall I fully know — 

Not till then — how much I owe ! 

R. M'Cheyne. 

1 John xiii. 7. Joel ii. «6. 



Zbc Qpcnct> tireaaure. 195 



SECOND DAY. 



^be ©penet) ^reaeure^ 

*The Lord shall open unto thee His good treasure.' — 
Deut. xxviii. 12. 

WHEN the wise men ' opened their treasures/ 
they brought out gold and frankincense and 
myrrh. -^ When Jehovah opens' unto us His good 
treasure, we shall see greater things than these. ^ 

The context of this rich promise seems to make 
* the heaven ' the treasure-house ; and in its primary 
and literal sense, the fertilizing rain is the first out- 
pouring of the opened treasure, soon after expanded 
into beautiful details of the ' precious things of 
heaven and . . . the precious things of the earth. '^ 
But the spiritual blessings are closely interwoven 
with the temporal in the whole passage, and the 
faithful Israelites who did not ' look only for transi- 
tory promises '* may well have claimed the opening 
of heavenly treasure through this promise.^ 

What shall He ' open unto thee ? ' In a word, 
'the unsearchable riches of Christ.'^ In Him 



^ Matt. ii. II. 2 John i. 50. * Deut. xxxiii. 13-16. 

* Deut. xxviii. 1-14. 6 Art. vii. ^ Eph. iii. 8. 



19^ IRoi^al JBounts, 

' are hid all the treasures of wisdom and knowl- 
edge," but the Lord shall open them unto thee. 
Riches of goodness, and forbearance, and long- 
suifering^ shall be meted out in infinitely gracious 
proportion to our sins, and provocations, and 
repeated waywardness ; exceeding riches^ of grace 
for all our poverty now, and riches in glory* enough 
and to spare for all the needs of glorified capacities 
though all eternity. 'All are yours ' in Him.^ 

Faith is the key to this infinite treasury, and in 
giving us faith^ He gives us treasure for treasure. 
He is ready to make us 'rich in faith,''' and then 
still to ' increase our faith '^ * unto all riches of 
the full assurance of understanding.'^ Ask for this 
golden key, and then put it into the Lord's hand, 
that He may turn it in the lock. 

He shall open unto thee the good treasure not 
only of the living Word, but of the written word.^** 
This is indeed ' treasure to be desired, '^^ 'more to 
be desired than gold ; '^^ and when Jehovah the 
Spirit opens this to us, we shall, we do, rejoice ' as 
one that findeth great spoil. '^^ Christ, the true 
Wisdom, has said, ' I will fill their treasures,'^* and 
' the chambers shall be filled with all precious and 
pleasant riches. '^^ So that when He has done this 
we are ' made treasurers over treasuries,'^® and may 
* bring forth out of ' our ' treasure things new and 
old.'i^ 



1 Col. ii. 3. 2 Rom. ii. 4. 8 Eph. ii. 7. 

* Phil. iv. 19. 6 I Cor. iii. 22. ^ Eph. ii. 8. 

^ Jas. ii, 5. 8 Luke xvii. 5. Col. ii. 2. 

'" Luke xxiv. 32. 11 Prov. xxi. 20. ^2 Ps. xix. 10. 

^3 Ps. cxix. 162. 1* Prov, viii. 21. 16 Prov. xxiv. 4. 

" Neh. xiii. 13. 17 Matt. xiii. 52. 



^be ©peneD treasure. 197 

It is only with God-given treasure that we can 
enrich others. When we want to give a word to 
another, it generally seems to come with more power 
if, instead of casting about for what we think likely 
to suit them, we simply hand over to them any 
treasure word which He has freshly given to our- 
selves. When He opens to us some shining bit of 
treasure, let us not forget : ' Freely ye have received, 
freely gwe.'^ 

Afto, let us not stand idly waiting for some 
further opening of the treasure,'^ but ' let there be 
search made in the king's treasure-house,'^ ' in the 
house of the rolls where the treasures were laid 
up,'* where the 'decrees' and 'records' of our 
King are to be ' found. '^ They are truly 'hidden 
riches.'^ Neither must we trust in our own store of 
spiritual treasures, whether of memory, experience, 
or even of grace, ^ for we shall soon come under the 
condemning word, ' O backsliding daughter, that 
trusted in her treasures ! '^ No, it is only continual 
drawing from His good treasure that will profit us, 
even ' the light of the knowledge of the glory of 
God in the face of Jesus Christ.'^ And ' we have 
this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency 
of the power may be of God and not of us.'^** 

1 Matt. X. 8. 2 Prov. ii. 4. 3 Ezra v. 17. 

* Ezra vi. i. 5 Ezra vi. 2. 6 isa. xlv. 3. 

7 Jer. xlviii. 7. 8 Jer. xlix. 4. 9 2 Cor. iv. 6. 
10 2 Cor. iv, 7. 



198 IRogal JBountig^ 



THIRD DAY. 



Zbc Iking'e Signature anb SeaU 

' The writing which is written in the king's name, and 
sealed with the king's ring, may no man reverse.' — Esther 
viii. 8. 

SUCH is the writing which by God's great good- 
ness is the glory of our land and the treasure 
of our hearts, full of exceeding great and precious 
promises,^ of commands not less great and not less 
precious,^ and of words of prophecy (which are only 
words of promise a little farther off) ' more sure' 
than the testimony of an apostle's senses to the 
excellent glory and the heavenly voice. ^ 

It is written in the King's name. The living 
Word of God, who came to declare, to manifest, 
and to glorify the Father,* has imprinted His own 
name upon the same testimony as written by the 
Spirit, and has given it to us as the ' word of God.'* 

It is sealed with the King's ring. Sealing is a 
special work of the Holy Spirit, exercised in differ- 
ent ways f and how clearly has He sealed this great 

1 2 Pet. i. 4. 2 Ps. cxix. 97. 3 2 Pet. i. 17-19. 

* John i. 1 ; ib. xvii. 4, 6, 26. 6 John xvii. 14. 

6 Eph. i. 13, etc. 



XLbc IkinQ's Signature auD Seal* 199 

writing with the King's ring, engraved with His own 
image and superscription, the convincing token of 
its being indeed from Himself, and sent forth in 
unchangeable authority and power !^ 

It is a double sealing, without and within^ — first, 
the external and distinctly visible declaration that 
the writing is ' by the Holy Ghost ; '^ and then the 
all-convincing evidence that it is so by its effectual 
working* in our own hearts with a power which, we 
know for ourselves, cannot be less than almighty 
and therefore divine.^ 

It is thus written in the King's name, and * sealed 
with His own signet,'^ not only that we may know 
it to be His, but that we may have the right humbly, 
yet confidently, to show Him, so tjp speak. His own 
name and His own sign-et as our claim for the ful- 
filment of all contained UheBeici.' He will never 
fail to acknowledge them. 

This royal writing 'may no man reverse.' The 
King Himself cannot reverse it, for He changes 
not;** He ^cannot lie,'^ 'He cannot deny 
Himself: ^^^ for unchangeable truth is not only an 
essential attribute, but the very essence of His 
Deity. ^^ This one great ' cannot ' is the security for 
all that He * can ' and will do. And if God ' can- 
not,' who can? All 'the craft and subtilty ' of 
devil or man is powerless against one syllable of this 
royal writing. ' The word of our God shall stand 
forever, '^^ and the hoarse recoil of every furious 

1 John xii. 48. 2 2 Sam. xxiii. 2. ^ Mark xii. 36; i Pet. i. 11. 

4 I Thess. ii. 13. . ^ Heb. iv. 12. 6 Dan. vi. 17. 
7 Gen. xxxviii. 17, 18, 25, 26. 8 Mai. iii. 6. 

9 Titus i. 2. 10 2 Tim. ii. \-\, n John xiv. 6. 

12 Isa. xl. 8. 



200 IRoi^al J3ounti2. 

wave that is shattered into foam against this ever- 
lasting rock only murmurs, ' I cannot reverse it.''^ 

And is it not a most blessed and comforting 
thought that we ourselves cannot reverse it, though 
this is the quarter from which we are practically 
most tempted to dread its reversal ? For,^ ' if we 
believe not, yet He abideth faithful.' All the earth- 
born or devil-breathed fogs and clouds of doubt, 
from the fall till this hour, have not been able to 
touch the splendor of one star that He has set in 
the unassailable firmament of His eternal truth. 

All the promises of God are yea and Amen^ — 
where? — '■in Hhn^' the Son of God.* He holds 
these stars in His right hand ; He has held the 
great promise of eternal life for us^ since God gave 
it to Him for us before the world began, and every 
other is subincluded. And it is one of His offices 
' to confirm the promises.'^. Signed, sealed, held, 
and confirmed thus, should not ' It is written * be 
enough for our present ' light, and gladness, ar.d joy, 
and honour? '^ 

Another clause of this beautiful verse is too striking 
to be passed over : * Write ye also for the Jews, As 
it likeih' you, in the king's name, and seal it with 
the king's ring.'^ Does not this remind us of 
another writing of our King: * If ye abide 
in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask 
uhat ye will, and it shall be done unto you.' 
He places His own name and His own signet at 
the disposal of His ' abiding ' ones, and says :* 

1 Num. xxiii. 20. 2 2 Tim. ii. 13, ^ 2 Cor. i. 20. 

* 2 Tim. i. I. 6 John x. 28. « Rom. xv. 8. 

"i Esther viii. 16. 8 Esther viii. 8. 9 Isa. xlv. 11. 



^be fkim'B Signature ano SeaU 201 

*Ask Me of things to come concerning My sons, and 
concerning the work of My hands command ye 
J/<?.'^ ' Thou shalt also decree a thing, and it shall 
be established unto thee.' Should not this encour- 
age us in intercession ? Perhaps we are saying, like 
Esther,^ ' How can I endure to see the destruction 
of my kindred ? ' Have we as yet fully availed 
ourselves of ^ the King's name,' and 'the King's 
ring? ' 

«• For He hath given us a changeless writing. 

Royal decrees that light and gladness bring, 
Signed with His name in glorious inditing, 

Sealed on our hearts with His own signet ring. 

1 Job xxii. 28. 2 Esther viii. 6. 



20 2 IRogal asountig. 



FOURTH DA7, 



tTbe Cant)our of Cbriat 

* Come, see a man which told me all things that ever I did : 
is not this the Christ ? ' — John iv. 29. 

YES ! it is not merely a vague general belief in 
Christ as the Teacher who * will tell us all 
things '^ which suffices for heart conviction of * the 
reality of Jesus Christ,' but the individual knowl- 
edge of Him as the Searcher who ' told 7ne all things 
that ever I did.'^ This was what led the woman of 
Samaria to exclaim, 'Is not this the Christ?* this 
was to her the irresistible proof of His Messiahship. 
What about ourselves ? If we know anything of 
true intercourse with the Lord Jesus our experience 
will not be unlike hers.^ When He who ' searches 
Jerusalem with candles'* turns the. keen flame of 
His eyes upon the dark corners of our hearts, and 
flashes their far-reaching, all-revealing beam upon 
even the far-off and long-forgotten windings of our 
lives ; when in His light we see the darkness, and 
in His purity we see the sin that has been, or that 

' John iv. 25. 2 John iv. 29. 

3 Zeph. i. 12. 4 Rev. ii. 18, 23. 



^be CanOouc of Cbrist* 203 

is ; when He ' declareth unto man what is his 
thought,'^ and then convinces that 'as he thinketh 
in his heart, so is he,'^ then we know for ourselves 
that He ' with whom we have to do '^ is ' indeed 
the Christ.'* 

He does not merely show us ; it is something 
more than that. It is not merely an invisible hand 
drawing away a veil from hidden scenes, and a 
light brought to bear upon them, so that we can 
see Jhem if we will ; it is more personal, more 
terrible, and yet more tender than that. He tells 
us what we have done ; and, if we listen, the telling 
will be very clear, very thorough, very unmistak- 
able. 

At first we are tempted not to listen at all ; we 
shrink from the still small voice which tells us such 
startlingly unwelcome things. 

Many feel what one expressed : ' Whenever I do 
think about it, I feel so horribly bad that I don't 
like to think any more.' Ah, ' if thou hadst known, 
even thou, at least in this thy day,'^ that it was not 
mere ' thinking about it,' but the voice of the Sa- 
viour beginning to tell thee what would have cleared 
the way for ' the things which belong linto thy 
peace, '^ what blessing might not the patient and 
willing listening have brought ! Oh, do not stifle 
the voice, do not fancy it is only uncomfortable 
thoughts which you will not encourage lest they 
should make you low-spirited ! Instead of that, ask 
Him to let His voice sound louder and clearer, and 
believe ' that the goodness of God leadeth thee to 

1 Amos iv. 13. 2 Prov. xxiii. 7, 3 Heb. iv. 13. 

4 John iv. 42. 6 Luke xix. 42. 6 Isa. xlviii. 18. 



204 TRo^al JBount^. 

repentance.'^ Only listen, and He will tell you not 
only all things that ever you did, but all things 
which He has done for you. He never leaves off in 
the middle of all He has to tell, unless we wilfully 
interrupt Him. 

Perhaps we have gone through all this, and known 
the humbling blessedness of being searched and 
' told,'^ and then pardoned and cleansed ; ^ and now 
again there is something not right. We hardly 
know what,* only there is a misgiving, a dim, vague 
uneasiness ;^ we 'really don't know of anything in 
particular,'^ and yet there is something unsatisfied 
and unsatisfactory. There is nothing for it but to 
come to our Messiah afresh, and ask Him to tell us 
what we have done, or are doing, which is not in 
accordance with His will.^ It will be useless com- 
ing if we are not sincerely purposed to let Him tell 
us what He will, and not merely what we expect f 
or if we hush up the first word of an unwelcome 
whisper, and say, ' Oh, that can't have anything to 
do with it ! ' or, 'I am all right thei^e, at any rate ! ' 
We must simply say, ' Master, say on ; '^ and 
perhaps He will then show us, as He did Simon, ^^ 
that we have not done Him the true and loving 
service which some poor despised one has ren- 
dered. 

Oh, never shrink from the probings of our be- 
loved Physician. ^^ Dearer and dearer will the hand 
become as we yield to it.^^ Sweeter and sweeter will 

1 Rom. ii. 4. 2 Ps xciv. 12, 3 Ps xxxii. i. 

4 2 Sam. xxi. i. 6 Job xv. 11. 8 Job x. 2. 

T Ps. cxxxix. 23 ; Matt. vii. 21. 8 Job xiii. 22, 23. 

9 Luke vii. 40. 10 Luke vii. 44, 45, 46. ll Matt. ix. 12. 

12 Job V. 18. 



tibe CanDouc of Cbdst* 205 

be the proofs that He is our own faithful Friend, 
who only wounds that He may perfectly heal.* 

Only this I know, I tell Him all my doubts, and griefs, and 

fears ; 
Oh, how patiently He listens, and my drooping soul He 

cheers ! 
Do you think He ne'er reproves me? What a false friend 

He would be, 
If He never, never told me of the sins which He must see ! 
Do you think that I could love Him half so well, or as I ought, 
If Ift did not tell me plainly of each sinful deed and thought ? 
No ! He is very faithful, and that makes me trust Him more; 
For I know that He does love me, though He wounds me very 

sore. 

Ellen Lakshmi Goreh. 

1 Prov. xxvii. 6. 

'4 



2o6 tRoisal JSount)2* 



FIFTH DAY. 



from Beatb THnto Xlfe* 

* Is passed from death unto life.' — John v. 24. 

TWO distinct states with nothing between. No 
broad space between the two where we may 
stand, leading to the one or to the other ; only a 
boundary line too fine to balance upon. Not many 
steps — not even two or three from one to the other, 
but one step from death unto life ;' the foot lifted 
from the hollow crust over the volcanic fire, and set 
upon the Rock of salvation.^ 

How tremendously important to know whether 
this step is taken ; but how clear and simple the test : 
' He that heareth My word, and believeth on Him 
that sent Me, hath everlasting life, and shall not 
come into condemnation ; but is passed from death 
unto life.' Are you trembling and down-hearted, 
wanting some very strong consolation for your very 
weak faith ? ^ Lay hold of this.* See how the roi)e 
is let down low enough to meet the hand which you 
can scarcely lift.^ 

'He that heareth My word.' Can you say you 

1 Acts xxvi. 18. 2 Ps. xl. 2. 8 Heb. vi. i8. 

4 I Tim. vi, 12. 6 Heb. xii. 12. 



yrom 2)catb unto Xife, 207 

have not heard ? You have heard His word as His 
word, recognizing it as such, receiving it ^ not as 
the word of men, but as it is in truth, the word of 
God.'^ It ' is come unto you,' because it ^ is sent ' 
unto you.^ The word of Jesus is heard by your 
innermost self, and you would not be hearing and 
recognizing it if you were still dead. A marble 
statue hears not. 

'And believeth on Him that sent Me.' 'But 
that is the very question,' you say; ' if 1 were sure 
I believed, 1 should know I had everlasting life.'^ 
Why should you know? Because He says so, and 
ou could not but believe what He says. Then 
listen now to what He says : ' The father sent the 
Son to be the Saviour of the world.'* Do you not 
believe this? Did the Father;^;?/ send the S^^a? 
Did He not so love the world ?^ Let the very recoil 
from such plain English of unbelief show you the 
sin and folly of doubting any more. You do hear 
His word, you do believe on the Father who sent the 
Son to be your Siviour,*' will you not now believe 
that Jesus means what He says in threefold assur- 
ance : ' Hath everlasting life, and shall not come 
into condemnation; but is passed from death unto 
life?'^ 

Not * is passing,' but Ms passed ; ' a fact whose 
full blessedness cannot be fully realized here, while 
we only ' know in part '^ God's great gift of eternal 
life,^ but not affected by varving degrees of realiza- 
tion.^" 

1 I Thess. ii. 13. 2 Col. i. 6. 3 John vi. 47. 

* I John iv. 14. 6 John iii. 16. 6 John xvi. 9. 

7 John V. 24. 8 I Cor. xiii. 12. 9 Rom. vi. 23. 
10 2 Tim. ii, 13. 



2o8 IRo^al :fi5ounts. 

See your position, — or rather, take His word about 
it, — and give Hira thanks — oh, give Him thanks — 
for having lifted you in your blindness and helpless- 
ness over that solemn boundary line when you 
could not even step over it. ' Sing ... for the 
Lord hath done it ;'^ and when you begin to sing 
and to praise,^ the Lord's own ambushments of 
promises will start up before your eyes {there all 
the time, only you did not see them), and the 
shadowy hosts of fears and doubts shall flee away, 
and you shall ' know ' that you have passed from 
death unto life.^ 

From death — cold, dark, hopeless, useless, love- 
less ; the death in trespasses and sins ;* the death 
that lives (strange paradox) forever in the lake of 
fire^ — unto life with its ever-increasing abundance f 
life crowned with light and love ; life upon which 
only a shadow of death can ever pass, and that only 
the shadow of the portal of eternal glory -^ life in 
Jesus, life for Jesus, life with Jesus. 

This is your position now — made nigh instead of 
far off;® reconciled to God instead of * enemies in 
your mind ; '^ found instead of lost ;^° fellow-citi- 
zens with the saints instead of strangers and foreign- 
ers ;" sometimes darkness, but now light in the 
Lord ;" passed from death unto life. And all be- 
cause Jesus passed from life unto death, even the 
death of the cross, for you ;^'^ because it was the 
Father's will that He should come as the only re- 

1 Isa. xliv. 23. 2 2 Chron. xx. 22. 3 j John iii. 14. 

■^Eph. ii. 1. 6 Rev. XX. 14. ® John x. 10. 

' Ps. xxiii. 4. 8Eph. ii. 13. ^Col. i.21. 

10 Luke XV. 32. 11 Eph. ii. 19. 12 Eph. v. 8. 
isphil. ii. 8. 



3from 5)eatb unto %itc, 209 

quired ' sacrifice for sin ; '^ and He, our Lord Jesus 
Christ, was ' content to do it.'^ 

There is life for a look at the Crucified One ; 

There is life at this moment for thee ; 
Then look, sinner — look unto Him, and be saved — 

Unto Him who was nailed to the tree. 

Oh, doubt not thy welcome, since God has declared 

There remaineth no more to be done; 
Xhat once in the end of the world he appeared, 

And completed the work He begun. 

But take, with rejoicing, from Jesus at once, 

The life everlasting He gives : 
And know with assurance, thou never canst die, 

Since Jesus, thy righteousness, lives. 

A. M. Hull. 

1 Ps. xl. 9, P. B. V. 2 Ps. xl. 10. 



2IO IRoisal 3ISounti2» 



SIXTH DAY. 



3u0tifieb* 

'And by Him all that believe are justified from all things, 
from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses.' — 
Acts xiii. 39. 

' A ND.' For justification does not come first. 
-^^ The robe of righteousness^ is not put on un= 
til the sinner is ' purged from his old sins.'^ So 
this is God's order — first, ' Through this man is 
preached unto you the forgiveness of sins ; ' and 
then, ' By Him all that believed are justified.' 

But ' in Thy sight shall no man living be justi- 
fied.'^ 'For not the hearers of the law are just 
before God, but the doers of the law shall be justi- 
fied.'* But we have not ' obeyed the voice of the 
Lord our God, to walk in His laws, which He set 
before us. '^ So ' that no man is justified by the 
law in the sight of God, it is evident ; '® for 'by the 
deeds of the law there shall no flesh be justified in 
His sight.''' ' How then can man be justified with 
God ? '^ ' The law was our schoolmaster to bring 

1 Isa. Ivi. 10. 22 Pet. i. 9. ^ Ps. cxliii. 2. 

*Rom. ii. 13. * Dan. ix. 10. ^Gal. iii. 11. 

T Rom. iii. 20. ^Job xxv. 4. 



S^ustifteD. 2 1 1 

us unto Christ, that we might be justified by 
faith. '^ 

This glorious justification by faith is sevenfold. 
We are justified, i. ^ By His grace ^"^ — the grace 
of God the Father, one of whose most wonderful 
titles is, ' The Justifier of him which believeth in 
Jesus. '^ 2. 'By His blood ^^ — that precious blood 
which has to do with every stage of our redemption 
and effectuated salvation ; from the writing of our 
nan^s ' in the book of life of the Lamb slain from 
the foundation of the world, '^ till the chorus of the 
'new song '^ is full in heaven. 3. 'By the Right- 
eousness of One\oi the One), ' by the obedience 
of One ; '^ by which the free gift, the unspeakable 
gift of eternal life — nay, of Christ Himself to be our 
life^ — 'came upon all men unto justification of 
life. 4. '^ By the resurrection of Jesus our Lord, 
who ' was raised again for our justification,' the 
grand token that our Substitute had indeed fulfilled 
all righteousness for us.^° 

' For God released our Surety 
To show the work was done.'^^ 

5. ^By His knowledge shall My righteous Servant 
justify many ; for He shall bear their iniquities.'" 
For true faith is founded upon the knowledge of 
Him, and 'this is life eternal."'^ 6. By faith ; just 
only believing God's word, and accepting God's 
way about it.^* 7. By works ; because these are the 

1 Gal. iii. 24. 2 Rom. iii. 24. 3 Rom. iii. 26. 

* Rom. V. 9. 5 Rev. xiii. 8. 6 Rev. v. 9. 

7 Rom. V. 18, 19. 8 Col. iii. 4. 9 Rom. iv. 24, 25. 

10 Matt. iii. 15. n John xix. 30. 12 Isa. liii. n. 

13 John xvii. 3. l* Rom. v. i. 



212 TRo^al :©ount^» 

necessary and inseparable evidence that faith is not 
mere fancy or talk.^ We are 'justified by faith with- 
out the deeds of the law,'^ the old dead galvanic 
struggle to do duties and keep outward obligations ; 
but not without works, which ' do spring out neces- 
sarily from a true and lively faith ; ' for ' faith with- 
out works is dead.^^ 

' Therefore, being justified by faith,' what then ? 
I. ' We have peace with God.'* 2. ' We shall be 
saved from wrath through Him.'^ 3. We are made 
heirs of eternal life.^ 4. We shall be glorified by 
Him and with Him for ever.^ 

What about my own part and lot in the matter? 
Whom does God thus justify? and may I hope to be 
among them? He begins indeed at the lowest 
depth, so that none may be shut out ; for He ' would 
justify the heathen through faith, '^ and He ' justi- 
fieth the ungodly.'^ The publican who could only 
cry, ' God be merciful to me the sinner, '^*^ was 
justified. I can come in here, at all events. 

But how shall I be actually and effectually justi- 
fied now? Let God speak and I will listen :^^ 
* Even the righteousness of God which is by faith 
of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that be- 
lieve :^^ for there is no difference.' ' By Him all that 
believe are justified. '^^ * I believe in Jesus Christ 
His only Son our Lord.' Do I? 'Lord, I believe.''^^ 
Then His righteousness is upon me, and I am justi- 



1 Jas. ii. 24. 2 Rom. iii. 28 ; Gal. ii. 16; ib. v. 4. 

3Jas. ii. 26. * Rom. v. i. ^ Rom. v. 9. 

* Titus iii. 7 ^ Rom. viii. 30 ; John xvii. 22. 

8 Heb. vii. 25; Gal. i'i. 8. ^ Rom. iv. 5. 10 Luke xviii. 14. 

11 Ps. Ixxxv. 8. 12 Rom. iii. 22. l^ Acts xiii. 39. 

" Mark ix. 24. 



Justified. 213 

fied. * Knowing that a man is not justified by the 
works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, 
even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we 
might be justified by the faith of Christ.'^ And 
now, * He is near that justifieth me.'^ * Who shall 
lay anything to the charge of God's elect ? It is 
God that justifieth. '^ 

By the grace of God the Father, thou art freely justified, — * 
Through the great redemption purchased by the blood of Him 

who died, — ^ 
By His life, for thee fulfilling God's command exceeding 

broad, — ^ 
By His glorious resurrection, seal and signet of our God J 

Therefore, justified for ever by the faith which He hath 

given,^ 
Peace, and joy, and hope abounding smooth thy trial-path to 

heaven : ^ 
Unto Him betrothed for ever, who thy life shall crown and 

bless,io 
By His name thou shall be called, Christ, * The Lord our 

Righteousness.' ^^ 

1 Gal. ii. 16. 2 Isa. 1. 8. 3 Rom. viii. 33. 

4 Rom. iii. 24. 6 Rom. v. 9. • Rom. x. 4. 

7 Rom. iv. 25. 8 Rom. v. i. 9 Rom. xv. 13. 

10 Hos. ii. 19. 11 Jer. xxxiii. 16. 



ai4 ViO'S&l JBOuntg. 



SEVENTH DAY. 



Zhe IRoi^al Mine. 

* Thy love is better than wine.' — Cant. i. 2. 

WINE is the symbol of earthly joy; and who 
that has had but one sip of the love of 
Christ does not know this * royal wine,'^ this true 
*wine of the kingdom,'^ to be better than the best 
joy that the world can give ! How much more, 
then, when deeper and fuller draughts are the 
daily portion, as we ' follow on to know '^ the love 
* which passeth knowledge ! '* It is the privilege 
not of a favoured few, but of ' <3;// saints, ' to com- 
prehend something of what is incomprehensible. '^ 

I . The breadth, contrasted with the narrowness of 
earthly love and all its joy. Perhaps it is not so 
much by looking at His love to all the redeemed 
ones whom no man can number,® that we realize 
this, as by seeing that the love of Jesus was broad 
enough to reach and include ' even me.' ^Who 
loved Pie; '^ is not that more incomprehensible than 
that He loved all the saints and angels ? 

1 Esther i. 7. 2 John xiv. 27. 3 Hos. vi. 3. 

* Eph. iii. 19. 5 Eph. iii. 18. ^ Rev. vii. 9. 

' Gen. xxvii. 38 ; Gal. ii. 20. 



XLbc IRoisal Wiinc. 215 

2. The length, contrasted with the passing 
shortness of the longest earthly love and joy. What 
is the length? * Unto the end.'^ And even that 
is not the full measure, for His immeasurable love 
is everlasting f and when inconceivable ages have 
passed, we shall be no nearer 'the end ' than now. 

3. The depth, contrasted with the shallowness 
which is always felt, however disguised, in the 
world's best.^ Down to the very depth of our fall 
went^that wonderful love of Christ, to the depth of 
our sin, to the depth of our need, to the depth of 
those caverns of our own strange inner being which 
we ourselves cannot fathom, and which only His 
love can fill. 

4. The height, contrasted with the lowness and 
littleness of all that is represented by the world's 
wine. This all ends in self, which is like a low 
vaulted roof, keeping down every possibility of 
rising ; and so the earthly joy can take but a bat-like 
flight, always checked, always limited, in dusk and 
darkness. But the love of Christ breaks through 
the vaulting, and leads us up into the free sky above,, 
expanding to the very throne of Jehovah, and draw- 
ing us ' still upward '^ to the infinite heights of 
jflory. Is there any height beyond, 'As the Father 
hath loved Me, so have I loved you ' f These 
measures (so to speak) of Christ's love are those of 
the unsearchable perfection of God Himself. ' It is 
as high as heaven, deeper than hell '^ (thank God 



1 I John ii. 17; I Cor. vii. 29-31 ; John xiii. i. 2 Jer. xxxi. 3. 

3 Prov. xiv. 13 ; Eccles. ii. 10, ii ; John iv. 13. * Ezek. xli. 7. 

5 John XV, 9. ® Job xi. 7~f. 



2r6 tRoi^al :BountB. 

for that word deeper), ' longer than the earth, arid 
broader than the sea. ' 

For whom is this love? Oh how glad we are 
that it is not for the worthy and the faithful, so 
tliat we must be shut out, but for His own, though 
the chief of sinners!^ It is 'the love of the Lord 
toward the children of Israel, who look to other 
gods, and love flagons of wine.' Has it been so 
with us, that we have been looking away from Jesus 
to heart-idols and* ' other lords,'''' and loving some 
earthly ' flagons of wine' — other love, other pleas- 
ures, other joys, ' other things,' which are not Jesus 
Christ's? Then only think of ' the love of the Lord 
toward ' us / Well may we say, ' Thy love to me 
was wonderful,'^ and own it to be ' better than wine,' 
' above my chief joy.'* 'He proved His love to you 
and me to be ' strong as death ;' and when all God's 
waves and billows went over Him, the many waters 
could not quench it.^ 

In His love and in His pity He redeemed us ; in 
the same love He bears us and carries us all the day 
long,^ He * loveth at ^// times, '^ and that includes 
this present moment ; now, while your eye is on 
this page, His eye of love is looking on you, and 
the folds of His banner of love are overshadowing 
•you.^ 

Is there even a feeble pulse of love to Him ? He 
meets it with, * I love them that love Me.'^ ' I will 
love him, and will manifest Myself to him.' And 



1 1 Tim. i. 15. 2 Isa. xxvi. 13. 3 2 Sam. i. 26. 

* Ps. cxxxvii. 6. ^ Cant. viii. 6; Ps. xlii. 7; Cant. viii. 7. 

* Isa. Ixiii. 9 ; ib. xlvi. 4. ^ Prov. xvii. 17. 8 Cant. ii. 4. 
''Prov. viii. 17. 



^be IRo^al Mine* 217 

so surely as the bride says, * Thy love is better than 
wine,* so surely does the heavenly Bridegroom 
respond with incomprehensible condescension : 
* How fair is thy love, my sister, my spouse ! how 
much better is thy love than wine.'^ May this love 
of Christ constrain us to live unto Him * who loved 
me and gave Himself for me.'^ 

Christ, He is the fountain, 

• The deep, sweet well of love ! 

The streams on earth I've tasted, 

More deep I'll drink above. 
There to an ocean-fulness 

His mercy doth expand, 
"Where glory, glory dwelleth 

In Immanuel's land. 

Oh! I am my Beloved's, 

And my Beloved is mine ! 
He brings a poor vile sinner 

Into * His house of wine.' 

1 stand upon His merits ; • 

I know no safer stand, 
Not e'en where glory dwelleth 
In Immanuel's land. 

A. B. CousiN' 

1 Cant. iv. lo. 2 Qal. U. 20. 



2i8 IRo^al JSountB. 



EIGHTH DAY. 



Zbc 6ift of peace* 

*My peace I give unto you.' — John xiv. 27. 

'PEACE I leave with you' is much; 'My 
A peace I give unto you ' is more. The added 
word tells the fathomless marvel of the gift — ' My 
peace.' Not merely ' peace with God ; '^ Christ 
has made that by the blood of His cross, and being 
justified by faith we have it through Him.^ But af- 
ter we are thus reconciled, the enmity and the sep- 
aration being ended, Jesus has a gift for us from His 
own treasures; and this is its special and wonderful 
value, that it is His very own} How we value a 
gift which was the giver's own possession ! what a 
special token of intimate friendship we feel it to be ! 
To others we give what we have made or purchased ; 
it is only to very near and dear ones that we give 
what has been our own personal enjoyment or use. 
And so Jesus gives us not only peace made and 
peace purchased, but a share in His very own peace, 
— divine, eternal, incomprehensible peace, — which 
dwells in His own heart as God, and which shone 

iCol. i. 20. 2 Rom. V. I. 3 Ps. Ixviii. 18. 



XLbc (3m of peace* 219 

in splendour of calmness through His life as man. 
No wonder that it ' passeth all understanding.'^ 

But how ? Why does the sap flow from the vine 
to the branch ? Simply because the branch is 
joined to the vine.^ Then the sap flows into it by 
the very law of its nature. So, being joined to our 
Lord Jesus by faith, that which is His becomes 
ours, and flows into us by the very law of our spirit- 
ual life. If there were no hindrance, it would in- 
deed" flow as a river. ^ Then how earnestly we 
should seek to have every barrier removed to the 
inflowing of such a gift ! Let it be our prayer that 
He would clear the way for it, that He would take 
away all the unbelief, all the self, all the hidden 
cloggings of the channel. 

Then He will give a sevenfold blessing :* ' My 
peace,' ' My joy,' ' My love,' at once and always, 
now and for ever ; ' My grace ' and ' My strength ' 
for all the needs of our pilgrimage ; ' My rest ' and, 
* My glory ' for all the grand sweet home- life of 
eternity with Him. 

Thy reign is perfect peace, 
Not mine, but Thine ; 

A stream that cannot cease, 
For its fountain is Thy heart. Oh, depth unknown ! 
Thou givest of Thine own. 

Pouring from Thine, and filling mine. 

1 Phil. iv. 7. * John xv. 5. 

8 Isa. xlviii. 18. *John xv. 10, 11. 



220 IRoi^al JBounti2» 



NINTH DAY. 



^be Hbibing 3o^. 

* These things have I spoken unto you, that My joy might 
remain in you, and that your joy might be full.' — John xv. ii, 

WHO that has known anythmg of joy in the 
Lord but has asked, ' But will it last ? ' 
And why has the question been so often the very 
beginning of its not lasting ? Because we have 
either asked it of ourselves or of others, and not of 
the Lord only. His own answers to this continually 
recurring question are so different from the cautious, 
chilling, saddening ones which His children so 
often give. They are absolute, full, reiterated. We 
little realize how unscriptural we are when we meet 
His good gift of joy to ourselves or to others with a 
doubtful, and therefore faithless, '//' it lasts !' 

' To the law and to the testimony,'^ O happy 
Christian ! there you shall find true and abundant 
answer to your only shadow on the brightness of the 
joy. So long as you believe your Lord's word 
about it, so long it wi7/ last.^ So soon as you ask 
of other counsellors, and believe their word instead, 

1 Isa. viii. 20. 2 Isa. vii. 9. 



XLbC B&lNtiQ 5015. 221 

so soon it will fail. Jesus meets your difficulty ex- 
plicitly. He has provided against it by giving the 
very reason why He spoke the gracious words of 
His last discourse, ^ That My joy might remain in 
you.'^ Is not this exactly what we were afraid to 
hope, what seemed too good to be true, that it 
'might remain'? And lest we should think that 
this abiding joy only meant some moderate measure 
of qualified joy, He adds, 'And that your joy may 
be^///,'^ repeating in the next chapter, and inten- 
sifying it in the next. And lest we might think 
this was said with reference only to an exceptional 
case, He inspired His beloved disciple to echo the 
words in \{\?>- general epistle : 'That your joy may 
be full,' and ' the anointing which ye have received 
of Him abideth in you.' 

Never in His word are we told anything contra- 
dicting or explaining away this precious and reiter- 
ated promise. All through we are brightly pointed 
not merely to hope of permanence, but to increase. 
' The meek shall increase (not merely shall keep up) 
their joy in the Lord.'^ There are mingled 
promises and commands as to growth and increase 
in grace, knowledge, love, strength, and peace, and 
does not increase of these imply and ensure joy ? * 
Is joy to be the only fruit of the Spirit of which it 
may not be said that it ' sprang up and increased' f* 

When it is suggested that we ' cannot ' (some even 
say, ' must not') ' expect to be always joyful,' re- 
member that ' it is written,' ' Rejoice in the Lord ' 

^ John XV. II. 2 John xvi. 24. 3 jga. xxix. lo. 

*2 Pet. iii. 18; Col. i. 10; i Thess. iii, 12; iv. 10; Isa. xl. 29; ib. ix. 7; 
Gal. V, 22. 6 Mark iv. 8. 

15 



222 IRo^al JBount^, 

(not 'sometimes/ but) ' alway.^'^ 'As sorrowful, 
yet alway rejoicing.'^ When we are told that 'it 
would not even be good for us,' remember that ' it 
is written again,' 'The joy of the Lord is your 
strength.' Perhaps in that word ' of lies the whole 
secret of lasting joy ; for it is more than even ' joy 
in the Lord : ' it is His own joy flowing into the 
soul that is joined to Himself, which alone can * re- 
main ' in us, not even our joy in Him. ' That they 
might have My joy fulfilled in themselves. '^ Let 
us, then, seek not the stream, but the fountain ; not 
primarily the joy, but that real and living union 
with Jesus by which His joy becomes ours. 

Let us not, either for ourselves or others, ac- 
quiesce in disobedience to any of His command- 
ments. See how absolute they are ! ' Serve the Lord 
with gladness ; '* ' Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous,'^ 
and many others. Turn to the terribly distinct 
condemnation, * Because thou servedst not the Lord 
thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart, 
. . . therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies, 
. . . and He shall put a yoke of iron on thy neck 
until He have destroyed thee.'^ 

No one need be cast down because they cannot 
yet tell of abiding joy, or because others cannot tell 
of it. Thank God, our experience is not the meas- 
ure of His promises ; they are all yea and Amen 
in Christ Jesus,' and our varying, short-falling ex- 
perience touches neither their faithfulness nor their 
fulness. Forget the things which are behind, and 

* Phil. iv. 4. 2 2 Cor. vi. 10. 3 John xvii. 13. 

*Ps. c, 2. 6 Ps. xcvii. 12. 6I)eut. xxviii. 47, 48. 

7 2 Cor. i. 20. 



^be BbiDing 3-0^, 223 

press on to firmer grasp and fuller reception of 
Christ and His joy.^ Then it shall be always 
'praise . . . more and more,' *more grace,' 'grace 
for grace, '^ 'from strength to strength,'^ — yes, even 
'from glory to glory.'* Then you shall indeed 
' hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the 
hope firm unto the end.'^ 

May I earnestly ask every reader who is saying, 
' WiH it last ? ' to seek ' out of the book of the Lord' 
for themselves ; taking a concordance, and looking 
out, under the words, Joy, Rejoice, Gladness, etc., 
the overwhelming reiterations of promises and com- 
mands which can leave them in no doubt as to 
God's answer. 



1 Phil. Hi. 13. 2Jas. iv. 6, sps. Izxxiv. 7. 

^2 Cor. iii. 18. &Heb. iii. 6. 



224 IRoigal JSountig* 



TENTH DAY. 



^be Sure Hfterwar&* 

* Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, i 
but grievous : nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable 
fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby.' 
— Heb. xii. II. 

THERE are some promises which we are apt to 
reserve for great occasions, and thus lose the 
continual comfort of them. Perhaps we read this 
one with a sigh, and say : ' How beautiful this is for 
those whom the Lord is really chastening ! I al- 
most think I should not mind that, if such a prom- 
ise might then be mine. But the things that try me 1 
are only little things that turn up every day to 
trouble and depress me.* Well, now, does the 
Lord specify what degree of trouble, or what kind 
of trouble, is great enough to make up a claim to 
the promise ? And if He does not, why should 
you ? He only defines it as * not joyous, but griev- 
ous.' Perhaps there have been a dozen different 
things to-day which were ' not joyous, but grievous ' 
to you. And though you feel ashamed of feeling 
them so much, and hardly like to own to their hav- 
ing been so trying, and would not think of dignify- 



XLbc Sure BttccwarD, 225 

ing them as 'chastening,' yet, if they come under 
the Lord's definition, He not only knows all about 
them, but they were, every one of them, chasten- 
ings from His hand ; neither to be despised and 
called * just nothing,' when all the while they ///^ 
* grieve ' you ; nor to be wearied of ; because they 
are working out blessing to you and glory to Him. 
Every one of them has been an unrecognized token 
of Jlis love and interest in you; for ' whom the 
Lord loveth, He chasteneth.'^ 

Next, do not let us reserve this promise for chas- 
tenings in the aggregate. Notice the singular pro- 
noun, ' Nevertheless, afterward IT yieldeth,' not 
W/iey yield.' Does not this indicate that every 
•separate chastening has its own special ' afterward ' r* 
We think of trials as intended to do us good in the 
long-run, and in a general sort of way ; but the 
Lord says of each one, *// yieldeth.' Apply this to 
'the present.' The particular annoyance which 
befell you this morning ; the vexatious words which 
met your ear and ' grieved ' your spirit ; the dis- 
appointment which was His appointment for to- 
day ; the slight but hindering ailment ; the pres' 
ence of some one who is ' a grief of mind ' to you ; 
whatever this day seemeth not joyous, but grievous, 
is linked in * the good pleasure of His goodness,'^ 
with a corresponding afterward of ' peaceable 
fruit ; ' the very seed from which, if you only do 
Tiot choke it, this shall spring and ripen. 

If we set ourselves to watch the Lord's dealings 
with us, we shall often be able to detect a most beau- 

1 Heb. xii. 6. ^2 Thess, i. 11. 



226 IRo^al 3Bount^. 

tiful correspondence and proportion between each 
individual 'chastening ' and its own resulting ' after- 
ward.' The habit of thus watching and expecting 
will be very comforting, and a great help to quiet 
trust when some new chastening is sent : for then 
we shall simply consider it as the herald and earn- 
est of a new * afterward.' 

Lastly, do not let us reserve this promise for some 
far future time. The Lord did not say ' a long 
while afterward,' and do not let us gratuitously in- 
sert it. It rather implies that, as soon as the chas- 
tening is over, the peaceable fruit shall appear 'unto 
the glory and praise of God.'^ So let us look out 
for the '■ afterward ' as soon as the pressure is past. 
This immediate expectation will bring its own bless- 
ing if we can say, 'My expectation is from Him,'^ 
and not from any fruit- bearing qualities of our own ; 
for only ' from Me is thy fruit found. '^ Fruit from 
Him will also be fruit unto Him. 

What shall Thine afterward be, O Lord ? 

I wonder, and wait to see 
(While to thy chastening hand I bow) 
What peaceable fruit may be ripening now, 

Ripening fast for Thee ! 

1 Phil. i. II. 2Ps. Ixii. 5. 8Hos. xiv. %, 



IBo IDutt. 227 



ELEVENTH DAY. 



IR0 iburt. 

* Nothing shall by any means hurt you.' — Luke x. 19. 

IS not this one of those very strong promises which 
we are apt to think are worded a little too 
strongly, and off which we ' take a great discount ' ? 
Now, instead of daring a * Yea, hath God said ' ?^ 
let us just take all the comfort and rest and gladness 
of it for ourselves. Let us believe every word, just 
as our beloved Master uttered it to the simple- 
hearted seventy who were so surprised to find His 
name so much more powerful than they expected. 

Nothing! If He said * nothing,' have we any 
right to add, * Yes, but except . . . ' ? Nothing 
can hurt those who are joined to Christ, ' for with 
me thou shalt be in safeguard,'^ unless anything 
could be found which should separate us from Him. 
And * who shall separate us ?'^ Earthly tribulations, 
even the most terrible, shall not do it, for ' in all 
these things we are more than conquerors through 
Him that loved us.'* Yet a farther reaching and, 

1 Gen. iii. 1. * i Sam. xxii. 23. 

8 Rom. viii. 35. * Rom. viii. 37. 



2 28 IRoi^al JiSount^, 

indeed, entirely exhaustive list is given, none of 
which, * nor any other creature, shall be able to 
separate us.* Let us take everything that possibly 
could hurt us to that list, and see for ourselves if it 
is not included, and then rejoice in the conclusion, 
based and built upon Christ's bare word, but but- 
tressed and battlemented by this splendid utterance 
of His inspired apostle that it is indeed so — ' notJmig 
shall by any means hurt you.' 

But He who knows our little faith never gives an 
isolated promise. He leaves us no chance of over- 
looking or misunderstanding any one, except by 
wilful neglect, because it is always confirmed in 
other parts of His word. So He has given the same 
strong consolation in other terras. * The Lord 
shall preserve thee from all evil ' (do you believe 
that ?'). ' There shall no evil happen to the just,'^ 
' In seven (troubles) there shall no evil touch thee."^ 
Then see how He individualized it to Shadrach,, 
Meshach, and Abednego, even /« the burning fiery 
furnace, ' They have no hurt ; ' to Daniel among 
the lions, ' They have not hurt me ; ' to St, Paul 
among turbulent men with a care-nought governor, 
* No man shall set on thee to hurt thee.'^ We are. 
not likely to be more exposed to ' hurt ' than these, 
and we have the same God, ' who keepeth His 
promise for ever. '* He is the * wall of fire round 
about ^ us ; and what fortification so impenetrable — 
nay, so unapproachable ! And ' He that toucheth 
you toucheth the apple of His eye'^ — the very least 
touch is felt by the Lord, who loves us and is 

1 Prov. xii. 21. 2 Job V. 19. 3 Acts xviii. 10. 

4 Ps. cxlvi. 6. 5 2ech. ii. 5. 6 Zech. ii. 8. 



Bo 1burt, 229 

mighty to save ! Well may He say, 'And who is 
he that will harm you? ' 

' Nothing shall by any means hurt you,' for ' no 
weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper ; '^ 
man's curse shall be turned into God's blessing. 
Jehovah Himself, watering His vineyard every 
moment, says : ' Lest any hurt it, I will keep it 
night and day.'^ Again, the promise, with a 
solenyi condition, takes an even stronger form: 
* Whoso keepeth the commandment shall fee/ no 
evil thing. '-"^ 

Is not all this enough? It might well be, but 
His wonderful love has yet more to say — not only 
that nothing shall hurt us, but that all things work 
together for our good ;* not merely s/ia// work, but 
actually are working. All things, if it means all 
things, must include exactly those very things, 
whatever they may be, which you and I are tempted 
to think will hurt us, or, at least, may hurt us. 
Now will we this evening trust our own ideas, or 
Christ's word? One or other must be mistaken. 
Which is it? Christ, my own Master, my Lord 
and my God, has given a promise which meets 
every fear ; therefore, ^ I will both lay me down in 
peace, and sleep : for Thou, Lord, only makest me 
to dwell in safety,'^ and ' nothing shall by any means 
hurt 'me. 



^ Isa. liv. 17. 2 Isa. xxrii. 3. 3 Eccles. viii. 5. 

4 Rom. viii. 28. 6 Ps. iv. 8. 



230 IRosal JBount)2^ 



TWELFTH DAY. 



Zhc putting 3fortb of tbe Sbeep. 

* When He putteth forth His own sheep, He goeth before 
them.' — John x. 4. 

WHAT gives the Alpine climber confidence in 
wild, lonely, difficult passes or ascents, 
when he has ' not passed this way heretofore ' ?^ It 
is that his guide has been there before ; and alsa 
that in every present step over unknown and possi- 
bly treacherous ice or snow, his guide ' goeth be- 
fore. '^ 

It is to Christ's * own sheep ' that this promise 
applies ; simply those who believe and hear His 
voice. It is when Ife putteth them forth that it 
comes true ; not when they put themselves forth, or 
when they let a ' stranger '^ lure them forth, or such 
traitors as self-cowardice or impatience drive them 
forth. 

Sometimes it is a literal putting forth. We have 
been in a sheltered nook of the fold, and we are 
sent to live where it is windier and wilder. The 



1 Josh. iii. 4. 2I$a. xlv. 2. sjohn x. 26, 27; ib. x. 3. 



IPuttinfl 3Fortb ot tbe Sbeep. 231 

home nest is stirred up/ and we have to go (it may 
be only for a few days, it may be for years, it may 
be for the rest of our lives) into less congenial sur- 
roundings, to live with fresh people, or in a differ- 
ent position, or in a new neighborhood. We do 
not put ourselves forth, we would rather stay ; but 
it has to be. But Jesus ' goeth before. ' He prepares 
the earthly as well as the heavenly places for us. 
He will be there when we get to the new place. 
He went in the way before to search us out a place 
to pitch our tents in^ (and perhaps we were forget- 
ting that they were tents and not palaces).^ If we 
wilfully persisted in staying where we were when 
He said, / Arise and depart, for this is not your 
rest,'* we should find that Presence was gone which 
only could cause us to rest. He is not sending us 
forth away from Him, but only putting us forth 
with His own gentle hand, saying, * Rise up. My 
love, and come avra.y,'^ ' Come with Me.' 

Sometimes it is putting forth into service. We 
had such a nice little quiet shady corner in the 
vineyard, down among the tender grapes, with such 
easy little weedings and waterings to attend to. 
And then the Master comes and draws us out into 
the thick of the work, and puts us into a part of 
the field where we never should have thought of go- 
ing, and puts larger tools into our hands, that we 
may do more at a stroke. And we know we are 
not sufficient for these things,^ and the very tools 
seem too heavy for us, and the glare too dazzling, 
and the vines too tall. xAh ! but would we really go 

1 Deut. xxii. II, ^Deut. i. 33. 3 Heb. xiii. 14. 

4 iVf icah ii. 10. ^ Cant ii. 10 : ib. iv. 8. ^ 2 Cor. ii. 16. 



232 IRoi^al :©ount^, 

back? He would not be in the old shady corner 
with us now ; for when He put us forth He went 
before us, and it is only by close following that we 
can abide with Him. Without Him we could do 
nothing if we perversely and fearfully ran back to 
our old work. With Hira, ' through Christ which 
strengtheneth ' us, we * can do all things ' in the 
new work. Not our power, but His presence will 
carry us through.-^ 

Sometimes it is putting forth into the rough places 
of suffering, whether from temptation, pain, * or any 
adversity.' Not one step here but Jesus has gone 
before us ; and He still goeth before us, often so 
very close before us, that even by the still waters^ 
we never seemed so near Him. * He Himself hath 
suffered, being tempted.'^ How strangely comfort- 
ing to remember that He has passed even that way 
before us ! ' The things which He suffered ' include 
and cover, and stretch wide on every side beyond, 
all possible ' sufferings of this present time.'* It is 
in patient suffering, rather than in doing, that we 
are specially called * to follow His steps. '^ 'The 
footsteps of Thine anointed have lain through re- 
proach,' and ' the reproach of Thy servants' is no 
light part of * the fellowship of His sufferings.' 
How specially tender the Master's hand is when it 
is laid upon us to put us forth into any path of suf- 
fering ! How specially precious, then, to know that 
it is indeed His own doing ! 

Sooner or later, perhaps again and again, He puts 
forth His own sheep into a position of greater sep- 

1 Zech. iv. 6. 2 Ps. xxiii. 2. ^pjeb. ii. 18. 

*Rom. viii. 18. ^ i Pet. ii. 21. 



Safe Steppfnfl. 233 

aration — forth from an outer into an inner circle, 
always nearer and nearer to the great Centre. Let 
us watch very sensitively for such leading. Every 
hesitation to yield to His gentle separation from the 
world results in heart separation from Him. When 
He thus goeth before, shall we risk being left be- 
hind ? 

He will put forth His own sheep at last into the 
path which none of them shall ever tread alone,, 
becajuse He trod it alone. ' Yea, though I walk 
through the valley of the shadow of death, I will 
fear no evil : for Thou art with me. '^ Our ' Joshua, 
he shall go over before thee, as the Lord hath said.'^ 
Jesus knows every single step of that valley ; and 
when His people enter it, they will surely find that. 
* their King shall pass before them ; '^ and the Com- 
forter will say, ' He it is that doth go before thee.'* 



THIRTEENTH DAY. 



Safe Stepping. 

« Thy foot shall not stumble.' — Prov. iii. 23. 

MANY a Christian says : * I shall be kept from 
falling at last ; but, of course, I shall stum- 
ble continually by the way. ' But ' have ye not read 

1 Ps. xxiii. 4. 2 Deut. xxxi, 3. 

>Micah iu 13. * Deut. xxxi. 8. 



234 IRotgal :fi5ounts. 

this Scripture,'' Thy foot shall not stumble ' ?^ And 
if we have only once read it, ought not the ' of 
course ' to be put over on the other side ? for ' hath 
He spoken, and shall He. not make it good ? '^ 
*And the Scripture cannotht broken.'^ 

' But as a matter of fact we do stumble, and 
though he riseth up again, yet even the just man 
falleth seven times.'* Of course we do; and this 
is entirely accounted for by the other * of course.' 
God gives us a promise, and, instead of humbly 
saying, ' Be it unto me according to Thy word,'^ 
we either altogether overlook or deliberately refuse 
to believe it ; and then, ' of course,' we get no ful- 
filment of it. The measure of the promise is God's 
faithfulness ; the measure of its realization is our 
faith. Perhaps we have not even cried, ' Help Thou 
mine unbelief as to this promise, much less said, 
'Lord, I believe.'^ 

It does not stand alone; it is reiterated and varied. 
He knew our constant, momentary need of it. He 
knew that without it we must stumble, and fall too ; 
that we have not the least power to take one step with- 
out a stumble — or, rather, that we have no power to 
take one single onward step at all. And He knew 
that Satan's surest device to make us stumble would 
be to make us believe that 'it can't be helped.' 
We have thought that, if we have not said it. 

But 'what saith the Scripture?''' 'When thou 
runnest ' (the likeliest pace for a slip), ' thou shalt 
not stumble.'^ 'He will not suffer thy foot to be 

1 Mark xii. lo. 2 Num. xxiii. 19. 3 John x. 35. 

* Prov. xxiv. 16. 5 Luke i. 38. ^Mark ix. 24. 

7Rom. iv. 3, sprov.iv. 12. 



Safe Stepping. 235 

moved. '^ 'He will keep the feet of His saints.'^ 
'He led them . . . that they should not stumble.'* 
Can we say, 'Yea, hath God said?'* to all this? 
Leave that to Satan ; it is no comment for God's 
children to make upon His precious promises. If 
we do not use the power of faith, we find the neu- 
tralizing power of unbelief. 

' But how can I keep from stumbling ? ' You 
cannot keep from stumbling at all ; but He is ' able 
to keep you from falling,'^ which in the Greek is 
strongly and distinctly 'without stumbling' The 
least confidence in, or expectation from, yourself 
not only leads to inevitable stumbling, but is itself 
a grievous fall. But again we are met with the very 
promise we need to escape this snare : ' For the 
Lord shall be thy confidence, and shall keep thy 
foot from being taken. '^ 

' Still, how shall I be kept ? ' Jesus Himself has 
answered : ' If any man walk in the day, he stum- 
bleth not, because he seeth the light of this world.''" 
'Walk in the light,' 'looking unto Jesus,' and so 
shall we be ' kept by the power of God through 
faith.' 

We tell a little child to look where it steps and 
pick its way ; but Christ's little children are to do 
just the opposite : they are to look away to Him. 
' Let thine eyes look,' not down, but ' right on, and 
let thine eyelids look straight before thee.'* Why ? 
Because ' He it is that doth go before thee,'^ and it 

1 Ps. cxxi. 3. '^1 Sam. ii. 9. 8 15a. Ixiii. 13. 

*Gen. iii, i. 5 Jude 24. cProv. iii. 26. 

^ John xi. 9. 8prov. iv. 25. * Deut. xxxi. 8. 



236 IRoisal :©ounts, 

is on Him, the Light of the world, that the gaze 
must be fixed. 

* Having therefore these promises, dearly be- 
loved,'^ let us use them. Let us turn them into 
prayers of faith. ' Hold up my goings in Thy 
paths, that my footsteps slip nof '^ (did David add 
the whisper, ' But nevertheless, of course, they wi7I 
slip ' ?). ' Hold Thou me up, and I ska// be safe.' 
' When I said. My foot slippeth ; Thy mercy, O 
Lord, held \Ti& up ' (not ^picked me up ').^ 

Then comes the New Testament echo : ' Yea, he 
shall be holden up : for God is able to make him 
stand.'* But take 'all the counsel of God; '° for 
this, too, is needed : 'And thou standest by faith. 
Be not high-minded, but fear.' 

Now if these promises are worth the paper they 
are written on, ought we not to believe and accept 
and give thanks for them, and go on our way re- 
joicing, claiming His promise not once for all, not 
for to-morrow, but always for the 7iexi step of the 
way ? ' Thy foot shall /z<?/ stumble ! ' Jesus is now 
' upholding all things by the word of His power ; '* 
shall our unbelief make us the exception ? Shall 
we not rather say, ' Uphold me, according to Thy 
word'?^ 



Look away to Jesus, 
Look away from all ! 

Then we shall not stumble. 
Then we need not fall. 



I2 Cor. vii. I. 2Ps. xvii. 5. ^Ps. cxix. 117; ib. xciv. 18. 

4Rom. xiv. 4. ^Actsxx. 27. ^jJeb. i. 3. 

'Ps. cxix. 116. 



XL\)inc. 237 

FOURTEENTH DAY. 



* I am Thine.' — Ps. cxix. 94. 

'TMIIS is a wonderful stone for the sling of faith. 

A It will slay any Goliath of temptation, if we 

only sling it out boldly and determinately at him. 

When self tempts us (and we know how often 
that is), let it be met with ' not your own,'^ and 
then look straight away to Jesus with ' I am T/iine.* 

If the world tries some lure, old or new, remem- 
ber the words of the Lord Jesus, how He said :^ ' If 
ye were of the world, the world would love his 
own f . . . but I have chosen you out of the 
world ; '* and lest the world should claim us as ' his 
own,' look away to Jesus, and say, ' I am Thine.'' 

Is it sin, subtle and strong and secret, that claims 
our obedience ? Acknowledge that * ye were the 
servants of sin ; ' but now, * being made free from 
sin, ye became the servants of righteousness,'^ and 
conquer with the faith-shout, ' I am Thine. '^ 

Is it a terrible hand-to-hand fight with Satan him- 
self, making a desperate effort to reassert his old 
power? Tell the prince of this world that he hath 
nothing in Jesus,^ and that you are ' in Him that is 



1 1 Cor. vi. 19. 2 Acts XX. 35. 3 John xv. 19. 

4Johnxvii. 16. 5Rom. vi. 17, 18. ^Johnxiv. 30. 

16 



238 IRo^al :fi5ounti2, 

true,*^ a member of His body, His very own ; and 
see if he is not forced to flee at the sound of your 
confident * I am Thine ! ' 

But after all, ' I am Thine ' is only an echo, vary- 
ing in clearness according to faith's atmosphere and 
our nearness to the original voice. Yes, it is only 
the echo of 'Thou art Mine,'*'^ falling in its mighty 
music on the responsive, because Spirit-prepared, 
heart. This note of heavenly music never origi- 
nated with any earthly rock. It is only when God 
sends forth the Spirit of His Son in our hearts 
that we cry, 'Abba, Father.'^ It was when the 
anointed but not yet openly crowned king had gone 
out to meet Amasai, and the Spirit came upon him, 
that he said, * Thine are we, David.' Therefore do 
not overlook the Voice, in the gladness of the echo. 
Listen, and you will hear it falling from the myste- 
rious heights of high-priestly intercession : ' They 
are Thine. And all Mine are Thine, and Thine are 
Mine.'* 

This is no vague and general belonging to Christ, 
but full of specific realities of relationship. ' I am 
Thine' means, * Truly I am Thy servant.'^ lam 
one of Thy 'dear children.'^ I am Thy chosen 
soldier.' I am Thy ransomed one.^ I am Thy 
' own sheep.' I am Thy witness. I am Thy friend.® 
And all these are but aniens to His own conde- 
scending declarations. He says we are all these, 
and we have only to say, 'Yes, Lord, so I am.' 
Why should we ever contradict Him ? 

1 1 John V. 20. 2 Isa. xliii. i. 3 Rom. viii. 15. 

4 John xvii. 9, 10. 6ps. cxvi. 16. ^Eph. v. i. 

1 2 Tim. ii. 4. 8 Isa. xxxv. lo. ^ John x. 4. 



tlbfne. 239 

In deeper humility and stronger faith let us listen 
further to the voice of our Beloved, as He breathes 
names of incomprehensible condescension and love. 
Shall we contradict Him here, in the tenderest out- 
flow of His divine affection, and say, * Not so, 
Lord ' ? Shall we not rather adoringly listen, and 
let Him say even to us in our depths of utter un- 
worthiness, ' My sister, My spouse,' * My love, My 
dove. My undefiled,' answering only with a won- 
denng, yet unquestioning, ' I am Thine,' ' I am all 
that Thou choosest to say that I am ' ? 

The echo may vary and falter (though it is nothing 
short of atrocious ingratitude and unbelief when it 
does), but the Voice never varies or falters. He 
does not say, ' Thou art Mine ' to-day, and reverse 
or weaken it to-morrow. We are ' a people unto 
Thee for ever,'' and why grieve His love by doubt- 
ing His word, and giving way to a very fidget of 
faithlessness? Love that is everlasting cannot be 
ephemeral ; it is everlasting, and what can we say 
more? 

The more we by faith and experience realize that 
we are His own in life and death, the more willing 
we shall be that He should do what He will with 
His own, and the more sure we shall be that He will 
do the very best with it, and make the very most of 
it. May we increasingly find the strength and rest 
of this our God-given claim upon God. * I am 
Thine, save me ! '^ And * He will save. He will 
rejoice over thee with joy ; He will rest in His love. '^ 

1 Ps. cxix. 94. 2 Zeph. iii. 17, 



240 IRoisal JSountis. 

* Not your own ! ' but His ye are, 

Who hath paid a price untold 
For your life, exceeding far 

All earth's store of gems and gold. 
With the precious blood of Christ, 
Ransom-treasure all unpriced, 
Full redemption is procured. 
Full salvation is assured. 

* Not your own ! ' but His by right. 

His peculiar treasure now, 
Fair and precious in His sight, 

Purchased jewels for His brow. 
He will keep what thus He sought. 
Safely guard the dearly bought. 
Cherish that which He did choose, 
Always love and never lose. 



FIFTEENTH DAY. 



"innto ZTbee for fiver* 

• What one nation in the earth is like Thy people, even like 
Israel, whom God went to redeem for a people to Himself, 
and to make Him a name, and to do for you great things and 
terrible, for Thy land, before Thy people, which Thou re- 
deemedst to Thee from Egypt, from the nations and their 
gods? For Thou hast confirmed to Thyself Thy people 
Israel to be a people unto Thee for ever : and Thou, Lord, 
art become their God.' — 2 Sam. vii. 23, 24, 

ONE thought, containing three thoughts, seems 
to pervade this epitome of the history of God's 
people. The one thought is ' Unto Thee ! ' The 



"Glnto XTbee tor Bvet. 241 

three thoughts contained in it arfe — Redeemed, 
Separated, Confirmed unto Thee. 

Let us take them in order, i. God * went to 
redeem ' His people. It was no easy sitting still, 
no costless fiat : * Thou wentest forth for the salva- 
tion of Thy people, even for salvation with Thine 
anointed.'^ These 'goings forth have been from 
of old, from the days of eternity,'^ and we have 
seen by faith these 'goings of my God, my King.'* 

It. was not only to purchase them out of bondage 
and death, as one might buy a captive thrush on a 
winter evening, and let it loose into the hungry 
cold, and think no more about it ; it was to re- 
deem them unto Himself, to be His own portion 
and inheritance and treasure and delight, to be a 
' people near unto Him,* to be the objects on which 
all His divine love might be poured out, to be the 
very opportunity of His joy. 

His glory and our good were inseparably joined 
in it. He did it 'to make Him a name; ' and we 
may reverently say, that even the very Name which 
is above every name* could not have been the crown 
of the exaltation of the Son of God but for this. 

He also did it because He would ' &o for you great 
things and terrible,' — great things in mercy, 'terri- 
ble things in righteousness,* — bringing all His sub- 
limely balanced attributes to bear on His great 
work ' for you.^ ^Before His people,' that we might 
see, and know, and believe, and praise. 

2. This redemption to Himself necessarily in- 
volved separation ' from Egypt, from the nations 

1 Hab. iii. 13. ^Micah v. 2, margin.. 

3 Ps. Ixviii. 24. *Phil. ii. 9. , 



242 IRoi^al Sountis, 

and their gods.' We cannot have the ' to ' without 
the ' from,' any more than we could go to the equa- 
tor and not come away from the arctic regions. 
And the test and proof of the ' to Thee ' lies in the 
* from Egypt.' But what do we want with Egypt? 
what is there to attract us to the house of bondage and 
its old taskmasters ? Did we not have enough of 
them ? and shall we not gratefully accept redemp- 
tion 'from the nations,' ^ out of them, from the 
tyranny of ' the customs of the people,' ' from our 
vain conversation,'^ and say henceforth, ' Thy peo- 
ple shall be my people' ?^ ' What have /to do any 
more with idols,'^ when God Himself has redeemed 
me ' from their gods ' ? Yes, has redeemed me, for 
He says so. ' Sing, O ye heavens ; for the Lord 
hath done it ! ' He ' gave Himself for us, that He 
might redeem us from all iniquity.'* 

3. How magnificently God seals all His transac- 
tions ! So He has not only redeemed and sepa- 
rated us unto Himself, but 'Thou hast confirmed to 
Thyself Thy people Israel.' He, not we. His 
hands laid the fouridation, and His hands shall also 
finish it. He stablisheth us in Christ, and He 
' hath also sealed us.' He ' shall also confirm you 
to the end ; '° your life shall be one great Confirma- 
tion Day of continual defending and strengthening 
and blessing ; He avouching you this day and every 
day to be His peculiar people, ' as He hath prom- 
ised,' and establishing you an holy people unto 
Himself, and you avouching the Lord to be your 
God and to walk in His ways. 

1 1 Pet. i. 18. 2 Ruth i. 16. 3 Hos. xiv. 8. 

4 Titus ii. 14. 5 I Cor. i. 8. 



IHnto ^bee tor JSvct, 243 

Not * this day, only 'for we are confirmed to Him 
* to be a people unto Thee for ever.' 'Thine for 
ever ! ' ' For I know that whatsoever God doeth, 
it shall be for ever ; '^ so, having done this, it must 
be ' for ever ! * Fling this at the enemy when he 
tempts you to doubt your complete and eternal 
redemption — ' Unto Thee forever ! ' when he tempts 
you to regret or tamper with your separation — 
' Unto Thee for ever ! ' when he tempts you to quiver 
about your confirmation ' to the end ' — ' Unto Thee 
/or ever ! ' 

For ' the Lord is faithful.'^ * And now, O Lord 
God, the word that Thou hast spoken . . . estab- 
lish it for ever, and do as Thou hast said.'^ 

In full and glad surrender, 

I give myself to Thee, 
Thine utterly and only, 

And evermore to be. 
O Son of God, who lovest me, 

I will be Thine alone, 
And all I have and all I am 

Shall henceforth be Thine own. 

lEcclcs. iii. 14. 2 2Thess. iii. 3. ^2, Sam, vii. 25. 



244 IRo^al :fiSounts. 

SIXTEENTH DAY. 



Captive ^bougbt0» 

* Bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of 
Christ.' — 2 Cor. x. 5. 

ARE there any tyrants more harassing than our 
own thoughts ? Control of deeds and words 
seems a small thing in comparison ; but have -we not 
been apt to fancy that we really can't help our 
thoughts? Instead of our dominating them, they 
have dominated us ; and we have not expected, nor 
even thought it possible, to be set free from the 
manifold tyranny of vain thoughts, and still less of 
wandering thoughts. Yet, all the time, here has 
been God's word about this hopeless, helpless mat- 
ter, only where has been our faith? 

It is very strong language that the inspiring Spirit 
uses here — not ' thoughts ' in general, but definitely, 
and with no room for distressing exceptions, * every 
thought.'^ Must it not be glorious rest to have 
every thought of day and night brought into sweet, 
quiet, complete captivity to Jesus, entirely * obedient 
to the faith, '^ to His holy and loving influence, to 
His beautiful and perfect law ? We should not have 
dared to hope or dream of such a rest unto our souls ; 
we should not have guessed it included in that prom- 

iPs. xciv. 19. 2 Acts vi. 7. 



Captive ^bougbts* 245 

ise to those who take the yoke of Christ upon 
them ; and if we could find one text stating that it 
was not any part of God's iiijfinitely gracious pur- 
poses for us, we should only say, ' Of course, for it 
stands to reason it could not be ! ' 

To reason, perhaps, but not to faith ; for words 
cannot be plainer than these in which St. Paul sets. 
forth this marvellous privilege not of himself person- 
ally, but of all God's children, if they are only 
wilting and simply believing in the matter. For 
while ' the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus '^ is 
the measure of the fulness of His promises, 'accord- 
ing to your faith '^ is the appointed measure of their 
reception and benefit by ourselves. ' Lord, increase 
our faith. '^ 

But there is an order in their effectual working, 
and we must not begin at the wrong end. Before 
this triumph-leading of every thought can take place,, 
there is the ' casting down imaginations,'* or, as in 
the more correct margin, ' reasonings.' As long as 
we are reasoning about a promise, we never know 
its reality. It is not God's way. It is the humble 
who hear thereof and are glad.^ Have we not found 
it so? Did we (?z/^r receive the powerful fulfilment 
of a?^j; promise so long as we argued and reasoned, 
whether with our own hearts or with others, and 
said, ' How can these things be ? '^ Has it not al- 
ways been, that we had to lay down our arms and 
accept God's thought and God's way instead of our 
own ideas, and be willing that He should ' speak the 
word only,' and believe it as little children believe 

1 Phil. iv. 19. 2 Matt. ix. 29. 3 Luke xvii. 5. 

4 2 Cor. X. 5. 6 Ps. xxxiv. 2. 6 John iii. 9. 



246 IRosal J3ounti2. 

our promises? Then, never till then, the promise 
and the privilege became ours not only in potential- 
ity but in actuality. Now, how is it that we do not 
yet understand, and apply the same principle to 
every promise or privilege which as yet we see only 
afar off? It is the old way and the only way: 
* Who through faith . . . obtain promises.'^ 

It is a solemn thought that the alternative of ' the 
obedience of Christ '^ is disobedience. Thoughts 
that are not brought into the one are in the other ; 
for * the thought of foolishness is sin,'*^ nothing less 
or lighter ; and when the Holy Spirit * declareth 
unto man what is his thought,' unsuspected sin and 
unrecognized guilt come terribly to light. But ' how 
long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee?'* 
The Conqueror, the always triumphing Saviour, 
stands at the door and knocks ; shall we not ' open 
unto Him tmmedtately,^ and now cast down the 
reasonings which hinder His present triumph, and 
yield up to Him ' who alone can order them ' the 
unruly will and affections, and deliver into His vic- 
torious hands the unmanageable thought-garrison 
(reserving no private slaves, who would quickly 
again become our masters), and then let Him dwell 
in our hearts by faith as absolute Captain of our 
salvation ?^ Then He will garrison our hearts with 
the peace of God which passeth all understanding.® 

Let every thought 
Be captive brought, 
Lord Jesus Christ, to Thine own sweet obedience ; 

1 Heb. xi. 33. 2 2 Cor. x. 6. 3 Prov. xxiv. 9. 

*Jcr. iv. 17. 6 Heb. ii. 10. *Phil. iv. 7. 



Zbongbts of tbe Ibeart, 247 

That I may know, 
In ebbless flow, 
The perfect peace of full and pure allegiance. 



SEVENTEENTH DAY. 



Zbc llmaalnation of tbe ^bougbta 
of tbe Ibeart* 

* Keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of 
the heart of Thy people, and prepare (margin, stablish) their 
heart unto Thee.' — i Chron. xxix. i8. 

THE words are probably more familiar to us in 
another connection : * And God saw . . . 
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart 
was only evil continually.'^ There is Satan's work 
through the fall ; now let us look at God's work 
through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.'* 

What was to be kept for ever in the imagination 
of the thoughts of the heart ? Something that God 
had put there ; for you cannot keep a thing in any 
place till it is first put there. The people had re- 
sponded to the appeal of their king, ' Who then is 
willing to consecrate his service this day unto the 
Lord ? '^ As the expression of this service, they 
had offered willingly and rejoicingly to the Lord. 
What they had offered was all His own : * Of thine 

1 Gen. vi. s» ' Rom, iii„ 24. 8 i Chron. xxix, 5. 



248 IRo^al :Bounti?» 

own have we given Thee.'^ And David acknowl- 
edges that it was all of Him that they were enabled 
(margin, obtained strength) * to offer so willingly 
after this sort.' Was all this consecration and joy 
to be a thing of a day ? Nay ! in his grand inspired 
prayer, David, foreshadowing the Royal Intercessor, 
by whom alone we ' offer up spiritual sacrifices,' 
prays, * O Lord God, keep this for ever in the im- 
agination of the thoughts of the heart of Thy peo- 
ple.' 

Now, does not this precisely meet the fear, the 
desire, and the need of our souls? I may have 
yielded myself unto God to-day, I may have sin- 
cerely presented myself a living sacrifice to Him'^ 
to-day, but what about to-morrow ? My heart is so 
treacherous, I dare not trust it, I cannot even know 
it. Who that has consecrated himself to the Lord 
has not had some such thought ! In too many in- 
stances, the thought is brooded over till it grows into 
doubt of His power; and then, of course, we begin 
to sink, for only by faith do we stand or walk in the 
bright path of consecration. Doubt indulged soon 
becomes doubt realized. 

He who by His free grace and mighty power put 
it into our hearts must be equally willing and able 
to keep it there. If He can keep it there for one 
day, — nay, for one hour, — He can keep it — how 
long? Two days? A whole year? What saith 
the Scripture? ' For Ever.' Yes, but He only ; not 
ourselves. We cannot ' keep ' it one minute. The 
more totally we distrust our own ability to put or to 

1 1 Chron, xxix. 14. 2 Rom. vi. 13 ; ib. xii. i. 



Zbo\xQbt6 ot tbe Ibcart. 249 

keep any right thing whatever in our minds, the 
more we shall see that we may and must totally 
trust His power. 

There is real comfort in knowing that every im- 
agination of the thoughts of the natural heart is 
on/y evil continually, because this shows how really 
He is working in us when we find Him putting and 
keeping holy things in our minds. We may be 
quite sure no Godward thought comes natural to us ; 
but His new covenant is : ■ 'I will put My laws into 
their mind, and write them in their hearts.'^ 

The words are very remarkable and far-reaching. 
We feel that they go to the very depths, that it is 
our whole mental being which is to be thus pervaded 
with the incense of consecration ; not that it is to 
be kept only in some inner recess of the heart, and 
not equally so in the mental consciousness. ' Keep 
this for ever in the imagination,' so that the mind 
(margin, imagination) may be stayed on Thee, and 
the keeping in perfect peace may result.^ Just the 
very thing that seems most curbless, the mental 
lightning that seems too quick for us ! The flash- 
ing wings that used to bear us too swiftly whither 
we would not, shall be folded over the golden pur- 
pose of consecration. ' In the imagination of the 
thoughts.' ' Bringing into captivity every thought 
to the obedience of Christ.' And then the peace 
of God enters in to garrison the heart and thoughts 
(for it is the same word, here translated ' mind '). 
* In the imagination of the thoughts of the heart' 
the very central self, the inner citadel of the soul. 

1 Heb. viii. 8-10. 2 isa. xxvi. 3. 



«5o TRoi^al :©ounts. 

That shall be ' established with grace/ stablished 
unblameable in holiness, '■ fixed ' so that it shall sing 
and give praise ; for Thou, Lord, ^ hast heard the 
desire of the humble : Thou wilt establish their 
heart.' 

We rejoice in His omniscience ; for, because'the 
Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the 
imaginations of the thoughts,'^ we are fully per- 
suaded that what He has promised He is able also 
to perform.^ 

' Only for Jesus ! ' Lord, keep it for ever 
Sealed on the heart and engraved on the life ; 

Pulse of all gladness, and nerve of endeavour. 
Secret of rest, and the strength of our strife. 



EIGHTEENTH DAY. 



^be jEverlaeting Service^ 

* And he shall serve him for ever.' — Ex. xxi, 6. 

A PROMISE only differenced from a threat by 
one thing, love ! But that makes all the 
difference. 

To those who are still * enemies in their minds, '^ 
the prospect of serving for ever would be anything 
but pleasant. But when the enmity is slain by the 

1 I Chron. xxviii. 9. 2 Rom. iv. 21. ^ Col. i. 21. 



XLbc jSveclastfnfi Service* 251 

cross of Christ,^ and all things are become new/ 
and the love of Christ constraineth,^ then it is 
among the brightest of our many bright anticipa- 
tions, and everlasting joy and everlasting service 
become almost synonymous. 

Rest is sweet, but service (in proportion to our 
love) is sweeter still. Those who have served much 
here cannot but anticipate the fuller and more per- 
fect service above. Those who have to do little 
more than * stand and wait ' here, will perhaps revel 
even more than others in the new experience of ac- 
tive service, coming at once, as it were, into its full 
delight. 

The Hebrew servant had trial of his master's ser- 
vice for six years, and in the seventh he might go 
out free if he would. But then, ' if the servant shall 
plainly say ' (plainly, avowedly, no mistake about 
it), ' I love my master, . . . I z£//// not go out free,' 
then, publicly and legally, he was sealed to his ser- 
vice ' for ever.' It all depended on the love. He 
would say, ' I will not go away from thee ; * because 
he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well 
with thee.' 

How this meets our case, dear fellow-servants ! 
We do not want to ' go away from ' Jesus, because 
we love Him ; and we love His house too, — not only, 
* the house of God ' with which so much of our ser- 
vice is connected, but ' His own house,' the ' spirit- 
ual house,' *the blessed company of all faithful 
people.' 

And are we not * well ' with Him ? Where else 

1 Eph. ii. 16. 8 2 Cor. v. 17. 

3 2 Cor. V. 14. 4 Deut. xv. 16. 



252 IRo^al 3Bount^, 

so well ? where else anything but ill ? Has He not 
dealt well with His servants?^ What a chorus it 
would be if we all spoke out, and said, ^ I love my 
Master, and it hath been well for me with Him ' ! 
Why donU we speak out, and let people know what 
a Master He is, and what a happy service His is ? 
Who is to speak out, if we have not a word to say 
about it ! Let us stand up for Jesus and His service, 
every one of us ! 

Perhaps, when we do speak out, we shall realize 
the joy of this promise as never before. It was not 
till the servant had owned his love, and given up 
'the rest of his time in the flesh,' and had his ear 
bored, that the word was spoken, ' He shall serve 
him for ever; '^ and it is only the loving and con- 
secrated heart that leaps up for joy at the heavenly 
prospect : 'And His servants shall serve Him." 

Think about it a little. What will it be to be 
able at last to express not only all the love we now 
feel, but all the perfected love of infinitely enlarged 
capability of loving in the equally perfected service 
of equally enlarged capability of serving ? — able to 
show Jesus a love which would burst our hearts if 
poured into them now ! Able to put all the new 
rapture of praise into living action for Him ! Able 
to go on serving Him day and night,* without any 
weariness in it, and never a hateful shadow of 
weariness of it ; without any interruptions ; without 
any mistakes at all ; without any thinking how much 
better some one else could have done it, or how 
much better we ought to have done it ; above all. 

1 Ps. cxix. 65. 2 Ex. xxi. 6. 

2 Rev, xxii. 3. * Rev. vii. 15, 



ilbe Bverlaetfng Service, 255 

without the least mixture of sin in motive or deed — 
pure, perfect service of Him whom we love and see 
face to face ! What can be more joyful ? 

We are not told much about it, we could not 
understand it now ; the secrets of this wonderful 
service will only be told when we are brought to His 
house above, and see what are the heavenly ' good 
works which God hath before ordained ' (margin, 
prepared^ for us. 

H[pw full of surprises the new service will be ! — 
new powers, new and entirely congenial fellow- 
workers, new spheres, new ministries ; only two 
things not new, if our earthly service has been true, 
— no new power, and no new end and aim, but the 
same, even His power and His glory ! Then shall 
come the full accomplishment of the Messianic 
prophecy : * A seed shall serve Him ; '^ and still we 
shall say (only I think we shall sing it), ' Thine is 
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. 
Amen.'^ 'Whose I am and whom I serve' for 



ever 



/3 



My Lord hath met my longing 

With word of golden tone, 
That I shall serve for ever 

Himself, Himself alone. 
* Shall serve him,' — and ' for ever! ' 

Oh hope most sure, most fair ! 
The perfect love outpouring, 

In perfect service there ! 

1 Ps, xxii. 30. 2 Matt. vi. 13. 3 Acts xxvii. 23. 

17 



254 TRoisal JBount^, 

NINETEENTH DAY. 



flDo0t Bleeeeb for Ever* 

• Thou hast made him most blessed for ever, Thou hast 
made him exceeding glad with Thy countenance.' — Ps. xxi. 6. 

PROBABLY every one who reads this has at least 
one of those golden links to heaven which 
God's own hand has forged from our earthly treas- 
ures. It may be that the very nearest and dearest 
that had been given are now taken away. And how 
often ' no relation, only a dear friend ' is an ' only ' 
of heart-crushing emphasis ! 

Human comfort goes for very little in this ; but 
let us lay our hearts open to the comfort wherewith 
we are comforted of God^ Himself about it. 

There is not much directly to ourselves; He 
knew that the truest and sweetest comfort would 
come by looking not at our loss, but at their gain. 

Whatever this gain is, it is all His own actual and 
immediate doing. ' TJiou hast made him ' (read 
here the name of the very one for whom we are 
mourning) 'most blessed.' 

' Most ! ' How shall we reach that thought ? 
Make a shining stairway of every bright beatitude 
in the Bible, blessed upon blessed, within and also 
far beyond our own experience. And when we 

1 2 Cor. i. 4. 



/Ift06t :fi3lC0seD 3For Bver, 255 

have built them up till they reach unto heaven, still 
this ' most blessed ' is beyond, out of our sight, in 
the unapproachable glory of God Himself. It will 
always be 'most,' for it is 'forever' — everlasting 
light withoiJt a shadow, everlasting songs without a 
minor. 

No more death, neither sorrow nor crying, 
neither shall there be any more pain.^ 'And the 
inhabitant shall not say, I am sick.'^ No more sun- 
sets^ no more days of mourning. The troubling of 
the wicked and the voice of the oppressor ceased 
for ever.^ No more memory of troubles ; no more 
tears. No more anything that defileth ! All this 
only the negative side of our dear one's present 
blessedness. 

Then, the rest for the weary one, the keeping of 
the sabbath that remaineth, and yet the service free 
and perfect and perpetual. The crowns of life, of 
righteousness, and of glory. The great reward in 
heaven, full of love-surprise to the consciously un- 
profitable servant. The far more exceeding weight 
of glory * borne by some to whom the grasshopper 
had been a burden.^ 

The scene of all the blessedness, — the better 
country, the continuing city, the King's palace, the. 
Father's house, the prepared mansions (perhaps, 
full of contrasts to the past pilgrimage) — all summed 
up in the transcendent simplicity and sublimity of 
His words, ' That where I am, there ye may be 
also.' 

The music ! What will all the harps of heaven 

1 Rev. xxi. 4. 2lsa. xxxiii. 24. 3 Job iii. 17, 18. 

* 2 Cor. iv. 17. 6 Eccles. xii. 5. 



256 IRoBal 3Bount^» 

be to the thrill of the One Voice, saying, * Come, 
ye blessed of my Father ! '^ and, ' Well done, good 
and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy 
Lord.'^ Out dea.r ones have heard that! and that 
one word of the King must have made them most 
blessed for ever. 

But more yet. * Thou hast made him exceeding 
glad with thy countenance.' * Hast,' for it is done. 
At this moment they are exceeding glad, and the 
certainty of it stills every quiver of our selfish love. 
The glory and joy of our Lord Christ are revealed 
to them, and they are * glad also with exceeding 
joy,'^ rejoicing together with Jesus. 

How can they help reflecting His Divine joy 
when they see it no longer by faith and afar ofl", but 
visibly, actually ' face to face ! '* nay, more, * eye 
to eye,' that very closest approach of tenderest in- 
tercourse too deep for words. They see Him ' as 
He is ; ' in all His beauty and love and glory; 
through no veil, no glass, no tear-mist. 

The prayer for them, ' The Lord lift up His coun- 
tenance upon thee,'^ is altogether fulfilled, and they 
are ' full of joy with Thy countenance.' And every 
other prayer we ever prayed for them is fulfilled ex- 
ceeding abundantly, above all we asked or thought. 
We may not pray any more for them, because God 
has not left one possibility of blessedness unbe- 
stowed. 

' Breaking the narrow prayers that may 
Befit your narrow hearts, away 
In His broad, loving will.' 

— E. B. Browning. 

1 Matt. XXV, 34. 2 Matt. xxv. 21, 23. 3 Luke xv. 6. 

4 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 6 Num. vi. 26. 



S)o Zborx tor /Hbe. 257 

God Himself, their exceeding joy, has done and 
is doing His very best for them. * Even so, Father ! '* 

For I know 
That they who are not lost, but gone before, 
Are only waiting till I come ; for death 
Has only parted us a little while, 
And has not severed e'en the finest strand 
In the eternal cable of our love : 
The very strain has twined it closer still. 
And added strength. The music of their lives 
* , Is nowise stilled, but blended so with songs 
Around the throne of God, that our poor ears 
No longer hear it. 



TWENTIETH DAY. 



2)0 ti;bou for flDe. 

* Do Thou for Me.' — Ps. cix. 21. 

THE Psalmist does not say what he wanted God 
to do for him. He leaves it open. So this 
most restful prayer is left open for all perplexed 
hearts to appropriate ^ according to their several ne- 
cessities.' And so we leave it open for God to fill 
up in His own way. 

Only a trusting heart can pray this prayer at all : 

^ Matt. xi. 26. 



258 IRoi^al JBount^, 

the very utterance of it is an act of faith. We 
could not ask any one whom we did not know inti- 
mately and trust implicitly to ' do ' for us, without 
even suggesting what. 

Only a self-emptied heart can pray it. It is when 
we have come to the end of our own resources, or 
rather, come to see that we never had any at all, 
that we are willing to accept the fact that we can 
^ do nothing,' and to let God do everything for us. 

Only a loving heart can pray it. For nobody 
likes another to take them and their affairs in hand, 
and ' do ' for them, unless that other is cordially 
loved. We might submit to it, but we should not 
like it, and certainly should not seek it. 

So, if we have caught at this little prayer as being 
just what we want, just what it seems a real rest to 
say, I think it shows that we do trust in Him and 
not in ourselves, and that we do love Him really and 
truly. There is sure to be a preface to this prayer. 
' Neither know we what to do.'^ Perhaps we have 
been shrinking from being brought to this. Rather 
let us give thanks for it. It is the step down from 
the drifting wreck on to the ladder still hanging at 
the side. Will another step be down into the dark 
water? Go on, a little lower still, fear not ! The 
next is, 'We know not what we should pray for.'^ 
Now we have reached the lowest step. What next ? 
' Do Thou for me.' This is the step into the cap- 
tain's boat. Now He will cut loose from the wreck 
of our efforts, ladder and all will be left behind, and 
we have nothing to do but to ' sit still ' and let Him 

1 2 Chron. xx. 12. 2 Rom. viii. 26. 



2)0 XTbou tor /Ifte. 259 

take us to our 'desired haven,' probably steering 
quite a different course from anything we should 
have thought best. Not seldom ' immediately the 
ship is at the land whither' we went. 

What may we, from His own word, expect in 
answer to this wide petition ? 

1. ' What His soul desireth, even that He doeth.'^ 
Contrast this with our constantly felt inability to do 
a hundredth part of what we desire to do for those 
we love. Think of what God's desires must be for 
us, whom He so loves, that He spared not His own 
Son.=^ ' That nQdoQt\\\ ' 

2. * He performeth the thing that is appointed for 
rae.'^ This is wonderfully inclusive; one should 
read over all the epistles to get a view of the things 
present and future, seen and unseen, the grace and 
the glory that He has appointed for us. It includes 
also all the * good works which God hath before or- 
dained, that we should walk in them.' It will not 
be our performance of them, but His; for He 
' worketh in you to will and to do,'* and 'Thou 
also hast wrought all our works in us.'^ 

3. The beautiful old translation says, He ' shall 
perform the cause which I have in hand.'^ Does 
not that make it very real to us to-day? Just the 
very thing that ' I have in hand,' my own particular 
bit of work to-day — this cause that I cannot manage, 
this thing that I undertook in miscalculation of my 
own powers, this is what I may ask Him to do ' for 



1 Job xxiii. 13. 2 Rom. viii. 32. 3 Job xxiii. 14. 

* Phil. ii. 13. 5 Isa. xxvi. 12. 6 Ps. Ivii. 2. 



26o iRosal :©ounti2, 

me,' and rest assured that He will perform it. ' The 
wise and their works are in the hand of God ! ' 

4. He * performeth all things for me.'^ Does 
He mean as much as this ? Well, He has caused it 
to be written for us ' that we might have hope ; "^ 
and what more do we want? Then let Him do it. 
Let Him perform all things for us. 

Not some things, but ^//things ; or the very things 
which we think there is no particular need for Him 
to perform will be all failures — wood, hay, and 
stubble to be burnt up. One by one let us claim 
this wonderful word ; * the thing of a day in his day,' 
*as the matter shall require,' being always brought 
to Him with the God-given petition, * Do Thou for 
me.' 

Do not wait to feel very much * oppressed ' before 
you say, * O Lord, undertake for 'me. '^ Far better 
say that at first than at last, as we have too often 
done ! Bring the prayer in one hand, and the 
promises in the other, joining them in the faith-clasp 
of ' Do as Thou hast said ! '* And put both the 
hands into the hand of Him whom the Father 
heareth always, saying, ' Do Thou for me, O Lord 
God, for Thy name's sake,' for the sake of Jehovah- 
Jesus, the tnighty God, the everlasting Father, yet 
the Saviour of sinners. 



J Ps. Ivii. 2. 2 Rom. XV. 4. 

3 Isa. xxxviii. 14. * 2 Sam. vii. 2. 



/IRarvcUouslis IbelpeD, 261 

TWENTY-FIRST DAY. 



flDarvellouel^ Ibelpeb* 

• Marvellously helped,' — 2 Chron. xxvi, 15. 

UZZIAH seems to have been the type of a vari- 
ously busy and successful man. He had all 
sorts of irons in the fire. So many energetic interests 
and tastes, with both faculty and opportunity for 
developing them, must have made his life much 
more agreeable and lively than most royal careers. 
His architecture and his agriculture, his war organi- 
zations and his engineering, spread his name far 
abroad. For * as long as he sought the Lord, God 
made him to prosper.' Yet the end of his story is 
a strange contrast — -a leper, dwelling in a several 
house, and cut off from the house of the Lord. 

Where was the turning-point? Probably in the 
words, ' He strengthened himself exceedingly.' It 
had been God's help and strength before, and he 
had risen very high. Then he thought he was 
strong, and he was brought fearfully low, 

' Marvellously helped //// he was strong.' Then 
who would not be always weak, that they might be 
always ' marvellously helped ! ' 

* Marvellously ! ' For is it not wonderful that 
God should help us at all ? Have we not wondered 
hundreds of times, at the singular help He has 



262 IRo^al :fi5oimti?, 

given ? If we have not, what ungrateful blindness ! 
For He has been giving it ever since we were help- 
less babies. ' Through Thee have I been holden up 
ever since I was born.'^ How much of His help 
has been forgotten or altogether unnoticed. 

The very little things, the microscopical helpings, 
often seem most marvellous of all, when we con- 
sider that it was Jehovah Himself who stooped to 
the tiny need of a moment. And the greater mat- 
ters prove themselves to be the Lord's doing, just 
because the}^ are so marvellous in our eyes. 

Why should we fear being brought to some depth 
of perplexity and trouble when we know He will be 
true to His name, and be 'our Help,' so that we 
shall be even ' men wondered at ' because so mar- 
vellously helped ! 

It is not a mere expression. The Bible always 
means what it says ; and so the help to Uzziah, and 
the same help with which God makes us to prosper, 
is literally ' marvellous.' We do wonder at it, or 
ought to wonder at it. Wonder is one of the God- 
given faculties which distinguish us from the beasts 
that perish. And He gives us grand scope for its 
happy exercise not merely in His works in general, 
but in His dealings with us in particular. But won- 
der is always founded upon observation. We do 
not wonder at that which we do not observe. So, 
if we have not wondered very much at the help He 
has given us, it is because we have not noticed, nor 
considered very much, how great things He hath 
done for us. 

1 Ps. Ixxi. 6, p. B. V. 



/Iftarvellousl^ IbelpeD, 263 

Let us turn our special attention to it each day. 
We are wanting help of all kinds all day long ; now 
just observe how He gives it ! Even if nothing the 
least unusual happens, the opened and watching eye 
will see that the whole day is one sweet story of 
marvellous help. And perhaps the greatest marvel 
will be, that He has helped us to see His help after 
very much practical blindness to it. And then the 
marvelling will rise into praising *the name of the 
Lord your God, that hath dealt wondrous! y with 
you.'^ 

The times of marvellous help are times of danger. 
' When thou hast eaten and art full, . . . and all 
that thou hast is multiplied,' * beware lest ' ^ then 
thy heart be lifted up.'^ ^When he was strong, his 
heart was lifted up to his destruction.'^ Unclasp 
the ivy from the elm, and it is prostrate at once. 
Thank God, if He keeps us realizing, amidst the 
busiest work, and the pleasantest success, that we 
have no power at all of ourselves to help ourselves ! 
Then there will be nothing to hinder His ' contin- 
ual help.' As long as we say quite unreservedly, 
* My help cometh from the Lord,'* the help will 
come. As long as we are saying, ' Thou art my 
help,' 'He is our help,' 'a very present help.' 
Then we shall not * be holpen with a /////<? help,' 
which is too often all we really expect from our 
omnipotent Helper, just because we do not feel that 
we have * ^^^^i might.' Peter was a good swimmer, 
but he did not say, * Lord, help me to swim ! ' He 
said, ' Lord, save me ! '^ and so the Master's help 

1 Joel ii. 26. 2 Deut. viii. 11-14. 3 2 Chron. xxW, 16. 

* Ps. cxxi. 2. 6 Matt. xiv. 30, 31. 



264 IRosal :©ount^. 

was instant and complete. * Most gladly therefore 
will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power 
of Christ may rest upon me.'^ 

The Lord hath done great things for thee ! 

All through the fleeted days 
Jehovah hath dealt wondrously ; 

Lift up thy heart and praise ! 
For greater things thine eyes shall see, 

Child of His loving choice ! 
The Lord will do great things for theej 

Fear not, be glad, rejoice ! 



TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 



tCbou 1nn^er0tan^est. 

'Thou anderstandest my thought.' — Ps. cxxxix. 2. 

WHO does not know what it is to be misunder- 
stood ? Perhaps no one ever is always and 
perfectly understood, because so few Christians are 
like their Master in having the spirit of ^ quick un- 
derstanding."^ But this does not make it the less 
trying to you ; and you do not feel able to say with 
St. Paul, ' With me it is a very small thing. '^ But 
this precious Word, which meets every need, gives 
you a stepping-stone which is quite enough to ena- 

1 2 Cor. xii. 9. 2 Isa. xi. 3. 3 j Cor. iv, 3. 



Zbo\x Tan5crstanJ>e6t. 265 

ble you to reach that brave position, if you will 
only stand on it. ' TAou understandest my thought. ' 

Even if others * daily mistake ' your words, He 
understands your thought, and is not this infinitely 
better? He Himself, your ever-loving, ever-pres- 
ent Father, understands. He understands perfectly 
just what and just when others do not. Not your 
actions merely, but your thought — the central self 
which no words can reveal to others. 'AH my de- 
sire is before Thee.'^ He understands how you de- 
sired to do the right thing when others thought you 
did the wrong thing. He understands how His 
poor weak child wants to please Him, and secretly 
mourns over grieving Hun. ' Thou understandest ' 
seems to go even a step further than the great com- 
fort of ' Thou knowest.' * His understanding is 
infinite.'^ 

Perhaps you cannot even understand yourself, 
saying, * How can a man then understand his own 
way?'^ Even this He meets, for 'He declareth 
unto man what is His thought.'* But are you 
willing to let Him do this? He may show you 
that those who have, as you suppose, misunder- 
stood you, may have guessed right after all. He 
may show you that your desire was not so honest, 
\ our motives not so single as you fancied ; that 
there was self-will where you only recognized resolu- 
tion, sin where you only recognized infirmity or 
mistake. Le/ Him search, let Him ' declare ' it 
unto you. For then He will declare another mes- 

1 Ps. xxxviii. 9. 2 Ps. cxlvii. 5. 

" Prov. XX. 34. * Amos iv. 13. 



266 iRosai :Bount^. 

sage to you : * The blood of Jesus Christ His Son 
cleanseth us from all sin.'^ 

Then, when all is clear between Him and you, 
* nothing between ' (and let that ' when ' be 
^now/^), how sweet you will find it in the light 
of His forgiveness, and the new strength of His 
cleansing, to look up and say, ^ T"/^*??^ understandest ! ' 
and wait patiently for Him to let you be understood 
or misunderstood, just as He will, even as Jesus did. 
For who was ever so misunderstood as He ? 

Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all 
desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid; 
Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspira- 
tion of Thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love 
Thee, and worthily magnify Thy holy name, through 
Christ our Lord. Amen. 



TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 



^be proof of 1bi0 purpose* 

'No man can come unto me, except it were given him of 
my Father.' — John vi. 65. 

lERHAPS we have hardly counted this as any 
part of the royal comfort of our King. And 
yet it is full of * strong consolation.'^ 

1 1 John i. 7. 2 Heb. vi. 18. 



^be proof ot Ibis purpose. 267 

If some of us were asked, ' How do you know 
you have everlasting life ? ' we might say, ' Because 
God has promised it.'^ But how do you know He 
lias promised it to you? And then if we answered, 
not conventionally, nor what we think we ought to 
say, but honestly what we think, we might say, 
'Because I have believed and have come to Jesus. ''^ 
And this looks like resting our hope of salvation 
upon something that we have done, upon the fact 
of OTir having consciously believed a-nd consciously 
'come.* And then, of course, any whirlwind of 
doubt will raise dust enough to obscure that fact 
and all the comfort of it. 

Yet there is grand comfort not in it, but in 
the glorious chain of which even this little human 
link is first forged and then held by Jehovah's 
own hand. Apart from this, it is worth nothing at 
all. 

Do not shrink from the words ; do not dare to 
explain them away ; the Faithful and True Witness 
spoke them, the Holy Ghost has recorded them for 
ever : ' No man can come unto Me, except it were 
given unto him of My Father.'*'' There it stands; 
reiterated and strengthened instead of softened, 
because many even of His disciples murmured at it. 
So our coming to Jesus was not of ourselves; it 
was the gift of God.* 

How did the gift operate ? Not by driving, but 
by drawing. ' No man can come to Me, except the 
Father which hath sent Me, draw him.'^ Here 
comes in the great ' Whosoever will.^'^ For unless 

1 I John ii. 25. 2 John iil. i6. 3 John vi. 60-66. 

4 Epli. ii. 8. 5 John vi. 44. ^ Rev. xxii. 17. 



268 IRoi^al :©ount^. 

and until the Father drew us, no mortal born of 
Adam ever wanted to come to Jesus. Tliiere was 
nothing else for it ; He had to draw us, or we never 
should have thought of wishing to come ; nay, we 
should have gone on distinctly willing not to come, 
remaining aliens and enemies. Oh, the terrible 
depth of depravity revealed by that keen sword- 
word, ' Ye will not come to Me that ye might have 
life.'^ Settle it, then, that you never wanted to 
come till He -drew you, and praise Him for thus 
beginning at the very beginning with you. You 
were not ready for the ' whosoever will ' before. 
But no one ever had a glimmer of a will to come, 
but that shining '■ whosoever '^ flashed its world-wide 
splendour for their opening eyes. 

By your will, now being wrought upon more and 
more by His Spirit, the P'ather drew you, ' with 
cords of a man, with bands of love. '^ Just examine 
now, — was it not so? was it with anything but lov- 
ing-kindness that He drew you ? Remember the 
way by which He led you;* it may have been 
hedged with thorns, but was it not ' paved with 
love ? ' were not the very stones laid ' with fair 
colours?'^ Can you help seeing 'the loving-kind- 
nesses of the Lord ' all along? and what were they 
lavished for, but to draw you ? 

. That being acknowledged, what next ? Loving- 
kindness is the fruit and expression and absolute 
proof of everlasting love. There is no escape from 
this magnificent conclusion, — ' Yea, 1 have loved 
thee' (personally //z(?f) * with an everlasting love,' 

1 John V. 40. " John iii. 15, 16. 3 Hos. xi. 4. 

4 Deut. viii. 2. 5 isa. liv. 11. 



^be iproof ot Ibis purpose. 269 

for ' therefore with loving-kindness have I drawn 
thee' (personally thee)} The coming was personal 
and individual; it may have been ' in the press, '^ 
but we had nothing to do with the rest of the 
throng ; we know in ourselves that we, you and I, 
individually, have come. That personal coming 
was because of God the Father's personal drawing. 
I do not know how He drew you, you do not know 
how He drew me ; but without it most certainly 
neiflier you nor I ever could have come, because we 
never would have come. This personal drawing by 
personal loving-kindness was because of personal 
and individual everlasting love. Coming only be- 
cause drawn, drawn only because loved ! Here we 
reach, and rest on, the firm foundation of the elect- 
ing love of God in Christ, proved by His drawing, 
resulting in our coming ! When we know that this 
sun is shining in the heaven of heavens, should we 
be watching every flicker of our little farthing 
candle of faith ? 

From no less fountain such a stream could flow, 
No other root could yield so fair a flower : 

Had He not loved, He had not drawn us so ; 
Had He not drawn, we had nor will nor power 

To rise, to come, — the Saviour had passed by 

Where we in blindness sat without one care or cry. 

1 Jer. xxxi. 3. 2 Mark v. 27. 

18 



270 IRogal JBounts* 

TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 



Zhc (Barnering of tbe Xeaet (5rain» 

*I will sift the house of Israel among all nations, like as 
corn is sifted in a sieve, yet shall not the least grain fall upon 
the earth.' — Amos ix. 9, 

THERE is double comfort here, as to others and 
as to ourselves. 

As to others, — have not some of us had a scarcely 
detected notion, as if to some extent the salvation 
of others depended upon our efforts ? Of course, 
we never put it in so many words ; but has there 
not been something of a feeling that if we tried 
very hard to win a soul we should succeed, and if 
we did not try quite enough it would get lost? 
And this has made our service anxious and burden- 
some. 

But what says Christ ? 'All that the Father giv- 
eth Me shall come to Me.'^ They shall come, for 
the Father will draw them, and Jesus will attract 
them, and the Holy Spirit will lead them. And the 
purpose precedes the promise, even as the promise 
precedes the call, and the call precedes the coming. 
Thus God first planned and proposed the ark for 
the salvation of Noah from the flood. Then He 
said, * Thou shalt come into the ark. '^ Long after 

1 John vi. 37. 2 Gen. vi. 13, 16; ib. ver. i8. 



(3arnerlna of tbe Xeast (3rafn. 271 

that, when all things were ready, He said, ' Come 
thou and all thy house into the ark.'^ And then 
Noah went in; and then ' the Lord shut him in.'^ 

Now let us, in our work, practically trust our 
Lord as to His purposes, promises, and calls ; quite 
satisfied that He ' will work, and who shall let it ? ''^ 
that He will not accidentally miss anybody, or lose 
anything of all that the Father hath given Him, for 
this is the Father's own will.* 

It'may seem a great trial of trust very often, but 
who is it that we have to trust thus unquestioningly 
and quietly ? Jesus Christ ! Cannot we trust Hira 
whom the Father trusted with the tremendous work 
of redemption ? Shall He not do right ? Cannot 
we trust the Good Shepherd about His own sheep? 
Wily should it actually seem harder to trust Him 
about His own affairs than about our own ? ' Trust 
in Him at all times, '^ includes the time when we 
almost 'fancy the salvation of a dear one depends 
on our little bits of prayers and efforts. Not that 
this trust will teiKl to easy-going idleness. It never 
does this when it is real. The deepest trust leads 
to the most powerful action. It is the silencing oil 
that makes the machine obey the motive power with 
greatest readiness and result. 

Then the comfort for ourselves. Satan has de- 
sired to have us, that he may sift us as wheat f but 
the Lord Himself keeps the sieve in His own hand, 
and pledges His word that not the least grain shall 
fall on the earth. ^ 



1 Gen. vii i. 2 Gen. vii. 7, 16. 3 Isa. xliii. 13. 

■* John vi. 39. 5 ps ixii 8. 8 Luke xxii. 31, 

^ Amos ix. Q. 



272 IRo^al JBountig* 

We are so glad of that word, 'not the least ;^ 
not even me, though less than the least of all saints,^ 
though feeling as if my only claim upon Christ 
Jesus is that I am the chief of sinners.'^ 

' Not the least grain ; ' for He says, ' Ye shall be 
gathered one by one.' Think of His hand gather- 
ing you separately and individually out of His 
million-sheaved harvest ; gathering you, one by one 
always, into His garner, even in that tremendous 
day of sifting, when He shall thoroughly purge His 
floor.^ You may feel a little overlooked sometimes 
now ; only one among so very many, and perhaps 
not first nor even second in anybody's love, or care, 
or interest, but He is watching His * least grains ' 
all the time. A flock of sheep look most uninter- 
estingly alike and hopelessly undistinguishable to 
us, but a good shepherd knows every one quite well. 
Yes, the Good Shepherd calleth His own sheep by 
name here,* and ' in Zion every one of them ap- 
peareth before God.'^ 

For as He said at first, 'All that the Father giveth 
Me shall come to Me ; '^ so He says they ' shall come 
from the east and west'"^ to receive the eternal wel- 
come to the great feast of His kingdom ; His * sons 
shall come from far,'^ ' they shall come up with ac- 
ceptance; ' till every one (and that means you and 
I) has heard His own ' Come, ye blessed of My 
Father,'^ and has come into the fulness of all that 
He has prepared for us. 

1 Eph. iii. 8. 2 j Tim. i. 15. » Matt. iii. 12. 

* John X. 3. 5 Ps. Ixxxiv. 7. ^ John vi. 37. 

' Matt. viii. 11. 8 Isa. Ix. 4, 7. 6 Matt. xxv. 34,. 



Dinmcatfom 273 

Our Saviour and our King, 

Enthroned and crowned above, 
Shall v^^ith exceeding gladness bring 

The children of His love. 

All that the Father gave 

His glory shall behold ; 
Not one whom Jesus came to save 

Is missing from His fold. 



TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 



\D(nt>icat(on. 

* And they shall know.' — Ezek. vi. lo; :?xxvi. 38, etc. 

^TF they only knew ! ' How often we say or think 
i> this when ' they ' misunderstand and misjudge 
a person, a position, or an action, just because 
' they ' do not know what we know ! How we chafe 
against their speaking evil of things which they 
know not, and most of all when * they ' speak 
wrongly or unworthily of a person whom we know 
much better than * they ' do ! Ah ! if they only 
knew ! 

This grieving sense of the injustice of ignorance 
rises to a feeling which needs much tempering of 
faith and patience when we see our God Himself 
m^isunderstood and misjudged. Oh, how they ' daily 
mistake ' His words and His character, and how it 



274 IRo^al :flSounti5, 

does pain us ! How we do want them to know what 
He is, even so far as we are privileged to know Him ! 
How every word which shows they do not know 
His exceeding great love and absolute goodness, and 
the sublime balancing of all His attributes, jars upon 
us and distresses us, and causes a quick up-glance 
of His little children who have known the Father, 
and an involuntary closer nestling of their hand in 
His, as if they wanted to give Him fresh assurance 
of their love and confidence, just because these 
others do not know Him ! 

What an added grandeur it gives to our anticipa- 
tions of the day when every eye shall see Him, that 
He, our Father, will be known at last to be what 
He is, and that Jesus, our Lord and Master, will be 
seen in His own glory, and can never, never be 
misunderstood any more? One revels in the thought 
of this great and eternal vindication of Him whom 
we love ; His ways, His works, His word all justi- 
fied, and Himself revealed to the silenced universe, 
henceforth only to receive honour and glory and 
blessing ! It seems as if we should almost forget 
our own share in the glory and joy of His coming 
in this transcendent satisfaction. 

'And they shall \ir\ow ! ' It is one of tlie shining 
threads that run all through the Bible, a supply indeed 
for the heart's desire of those who delight in the 
Lord. It is never long out of sight, judgments and 
mercies being alike sent for this great purpose, that 
men may know that Jehovah is Most High over all 
the earth. For this the waters of the Red Sea re- 
ceded and returned again ; for this Jordan was dried 
up j for this Goliath was delivered into David's 



\t)inMcat(on, 275 

hand; for this 185,000 of the Assyrians were smit- 
ten by God's angel ; and many more instances. 
Throughout Ezekiel it seems the very keyword, re- 
curring seventy-five times as the divine reason of 
divine doings, that they may ' know that I am the 
Lord.'^ Is there not a peculiar solace in this? 

His word, too, shall be vindicated, for ' ye shall 
hiow that I the Lord have spoken it.'^ 

His ways shall be vindicated, for 'ye shall know 
that i have not done without cause all that I have 
done in it/^ * Thou s/iaU know hereafter.'* 

His house shall be vindicated, for He will answer 
the prayers ascending from it, ' that they may know 
that thy name is called upon this house.' 

And He will not leave His own children out of 
the great vindication ; for ' the hand of the Lord 
shall be known toward His servants.'^ 'AH that 
see them shall acknowledge them, that they are the 
seed which the Lord hath blessed.'® More than 
that, the whole world shall ' know that Thou hast 
loved them as Thou hast loved Me,'^ and ' I will 
make them ... to know that I have loved thee.'* 
Is not this superabounding compensation for any 
tiny share we may now have in the world-wide mis- 
understanding of our Father's wisdom and our 
Saviour's love ? 

' And they shall know,' is not only for those who 
do not know at all ; for ' at that day ye shall know 
that I am in My Father, and ye in Me, and I in 
you,' — revelations of the mysteries of Godhead and 

1 Ezek. XV. 7, etc. 2 Ezek. xvii. 21. 3 Ezek. xiv. 23. 

* John xiii. 7. 6 Isa. Ixvi. 14 6 Isa. Ixi. 9. 

7 John xvii. 23. 8 Rev. iii. 0. 



276 TRo^al :©ount^. 

of the ineffable union of Christ with His people, 
which have not yet entered into our hearts to con- 
ceive. * Then shall we know (if we follow on to 
know) the Lord.'^ * For now I know in part 3 but 
then shall I know even as also I am known. '^ 

Oh ! the joy to see Thee reigning, 

Thee, my own beloved Lord ! 
Every tongue Thy name confessing, 
Worship, honour, glory, blessing, 

Brought to Thee with glad accord! 
Thee, my Master and my Friend, 

Vindicated and enthroned. 
Unto earth's remotest end, 

Glorified, adored, and owned ! 



TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 



Mafteful Ibours. 

'Thou holdest mine eyes waking,' — Ps. Ixxvii. 4. , 

IF we could always say, night after night, ' I will 
both lay me down in peace and sleep, '^ receiv- 
ing in full measure the Lord's quiet gift to His be- 
loved, we should not learn the disguised sweetness 
of this special word for the wakeful ones. When 
the wearisome nights come, it is hushing to know 
that they are appointed. But this is something 

' Hos. vi. 3. 2 1 Cor. xiii. 12. 3 Ps. iv. 8. 



mafteful fbonxe* 277 

nearer and closer-bringing, something individual 
and personal ; not only an appointment, but an act 
of our Father: ' Thou /loMesf mine eyes waking.'^ 
It is noi that He is merely not giving us sleep ; it is 
not a denial, but a different dealing. Every mo- 
ment that the tired eyes are sleepless, it is because 
our Father is holding them waking. It seems so 
natural to say, ' How I wish I could go to sleep ! ' 
Yet even that restless wish may be soothed by the 
happjr confidence in our Father's hand, which will 
not relax its ' hold ' upon the weary eyelids until 
the right moment has come to let them fall in slum- 
ber. 

Ah ! but we say, ' It is not only wi'sA, I really 
wan f sleep. ^ Well; wanting it is one thing, and 
needing it is another. For He is pledged to supply 
'all our need, not all our notions.^ And if He 
liolds our eyes waking, we may rest assured that, so 
long as He does so, it is not sleep but wakefulness 
that is our true need. 

Now, if we first simply submit ourselves to the 
appointed wakefulness, instead of getting fidgeted 
because we cannot go to sleep, the resting in His 
will, even in this little thing, will bring a certain 
blessing. And the perfect learning of this little 
page in the great lesson-book of our Father's will, 
will make others easier and clearer. 

Then, let us remember that He does nothing 
without a purpose, and that no dealing is meant 
to be resultless. So it is well to pray that we may 
make the most of the wakeful hours, that they may 

1 Ps. xxiii. 14. 



27^ TRo^al :fi5ount^. 

be no more wasted ones than if we were up and 
dressed. They are His hours, for ' the night also 
is Thine. '^ It will cost no more mental effort (nor 
so much) to ask Him to let them be holy hours, 
filled with His calming presence, than to let the 
mind run upon the thousand 'other things' which 
seem to find even busier entrance during the night. 

* With thoughts of Christ and things divine 
Fill up this foolish heart of mine.' 

It is an opportunity for proving the real power of 
the Holy Spirit to be greater than that of the 
Tempter. And He will without fail exert it, when 
sought for Christ's sake. He will teach us to com- 
mune with our own heart upon our bed, or perhaps 
simply to * be still, '^ which is, after all, the hardest 
and yet the sweetest lesson. He will bring to our 
remembrance many a word that Jesus has said, and 
even * the night shall be light about '^ us in the 
serene radiance of such rememberings. He will so 
apply the word of God that the promise shall be 
fulfilled: 'When thou awakest, it shall talk with 
thee.'* He will tune the silent hours, and give 
songs in the night, which shall blend in the Father's 
ear with the unheard melodies of angels. 

Can we say, ' With my soul have I desired Thee 
in the night '?^ and, ' By night on my bed I sought 
Him whom my soul loveth ' ?^ Then he will fulfil 
that desire ; the very wakefulness should be recog- 
nized as His direct dealing, and we may say, 

1 Ps. Ixxiv. i6. 2 ps. iv. 4. 3 pg. cxxxix. ii. 

4 Prov. vi. 22. 5 Isa. xxvi. 9. ^ (Jant. iii. i, 4. 



/lRlDni0bt 1RememberlnQ6, 279 

* Thou hast visited me in the night. '^ It is not an 
angel that comes to you as to Elijah, and arouses 
you from slumber, but the Lord of angels. He 
watches while you sleep^ and when you are awake 
you are still with Him who died for you, that 
whether you wake or sleep, both literally and figura- 
tively, you should live together with Him. 



TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 



fIDibnigbt IRememberinge. 

* When I remember Thee upon my bed.' — Ps. Ixiii. 6. 

MEMORY is never so busy as in the quiet time 
while we are waiting for sleep ; and never, 
perhaps, are we more tempted to useless recollec- 
tions and idle reveries than * in the night watches.* 
Perhaps we have regretfully struggled against them ; 
perhaps yielded to effortless indulgence in them, 
and thought we could not help it, and were hardly 
responsible for * vain thoughts ' at such times. But 
here is full help and bright hope. This night let 
us ' remember Thee. ' We can only remember 
what we already know ; oh praise Him then, that 
we have material for memory ! 

There is enough for all the wakeful nights of a 

* Ps. xvii. 3. 



28o IRo^al :©ounti2, 

lifetime in the one word 'Thee.' It leads us 
straight to 'His own self;' dwelling on that one 
word, faith, hope, and love, wake up and feed and 
grow. Then the holy remembrance, wrought by 
His Spirit, widens. For ' we will remember the 
name of the Lord our God,'^ in its sweet and mani- 
fold revelations. * I will remember the years ' and 
' the works of the Lord.' ' Surely I will remember 
Thy wonders of old.'^ Most of all 'we will re- 
member Thy love,'' the everlasting love of our 
Father, the 'exceeding great love of our Master 
and only Saviour,' the gracious, touching love of 
our Comforter. And the remembrance of all this 
love will include that of its grand act and proof, 
*■ Thou shalt remember that . . . Jehovah thy God 
redeemed thee.'^ 

Perhaps we know what it is to feel peculiarb 
weary-hearted and dispirited 'on our beds.' Bu( 
when we say, ' O my God, my soul is cast dowi 
within me ; ' let us add at once, ' Therefore will 
remember Thee.'* 

And what then ? what comes of thus remember^ 
ing Him? 'My soul' (yes, your soul) 'shall be 
satisfied as with marrow and fatness, and my mouth'' 
shall praise Thee with joyful lips : when I remem- 
ber Thee upon my bed, and meditate on Thee ii 
the night watches.'^ What can be a sweeter, fullei 
promise than this ! — our heart's desire fulfilled inl 
abundant satisfaction and joyful power of praise ! 
Yet there is a promise sweeter and more thrilling 
still to the loving, longing heart. ' Thou meetest 

1 Ps. XX. 7. 2 Ps. Ixxvii. 10, II. 3 Deut. xv. 15. 

4 Ps. xlii. 6, 5 Ps. Ixiii. 5, 6. 



^be :fficigbt SfOe of (Browing ©lDer» 281 

. . . those that remember Thee in Thy ways,'^ 
And so, this very night, as you put away the profit- 
less musings and memories, and remember Him 
upon your bed, He will keep His word and meet 
you. The darkness shall be verily the shadow of 
His wing, for your feeble, yet Spirit-given remem- 
brance, shall be met by His real and actual pres- 
ence, for ' hath He said and shall He not do it? '^ 
Let us pray that this night ' the desire of our soul ' 
maybe * to Thy name, and to the remembrance of 
Thee:'' 



TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 



Hbe ffirigbt Si5e of (Browing ©Iber* 

• And thine age shall be clearer than the noonday ; thou 
shalt shine forth, thou shalt be as the morning.' — Job xi. 17. 

I SUPPOSE nobody ever did naturally like the 
idea of getting older, after they had at least 
* left school.' There is a sense of oppression and 
depression about it. The irresistible, inevitable 
onward march of moments and years without the 
possibility of one instant's pause — a march that, 
even while on the uphill side of life, is leading to 
the downhill side — casts an autumn-like shadow 
over even many a spring-birthday ; for perhaps this 

1 Isa. Ixiv. 5. 2 Num. xxiii. 19. « ^ isa_ xxvi. 8. 



282 IRoi^al :©ounti2. 

is never more vividly felt than when one is only pass- 
ing from May to June, — sometimes earlier still. But 
how surely the Bible gives us the bright side of 
everything ! In this case it gives three bright sides 
of a fact, which, without it, could not help being 
gloomy. 

First, it opens the sure prospect of increasing 
brightness to those who have begun to walk in the 
light. Even if the sun of our life has reached the 
apparent zenith, and we have known a very noon- 
day. of mental and spiritual being, it is no poetic 
' western shadows ' that are to lengthen upon our 
way, but ' our age is to be clearer than the noon- 
day.'^ How suggestive that word is! The light, 
though intenser and nearer, shall dazzle less; Mn 
Thy light shall we see light, '^ be able to bear much 
more of it, see it more clearly, see all else by it 
more clearly, reflect it more clearly. We should 
have said, 'At evening-time there shall be shadow ; ' 
God says, * At evening-time there shall be light.'* 

Also we are not to look for a very dismal after- 
noon of life with only some final sunset glow ; for 
He says it ' shineth more and more unto the perfect 
day ; '^ and 'more and more ' leaves no dark inter- 
vals; we are to expect a continually brightening 
path. ' The future is one vista of brightness and 
blessedness ' to those who are willing only ' to walk 
in the light.' Just think, when you are seven, or 
ten, or twenty years older, that will only mean 
seven, or ten, or twenty years' more experience of 
His love and faithfulness, more light of the knowl- 

1 Job xi. 17. 2 Ps_ xxxvi. 9. 3 Zech. xiv. 7. •* Prov. iv. 18. 



^be :©ngbt Si^e ot ©rowing ©IDer, 283 

edge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus 
Christ ; and ^//7/the ' more and more unto the per- 
fect day/^ will be opening out before us ! We are 

* confident of this very thing ! '^ 

The second bright side is increasing fruitfulness. 
Do not let us confuse between works and fruit. 
Many a saint in the land of Beulah is not able to 
do anything at all, and yet is bringing forth fruit 
unto God beyond the busiest workers. So that 
even tvhen we come to the days when ' the strong 
men shall bow themselves, '^ there may be more 
pleasant fruits for our Master, riper and fuller and 
sweeter, than ever before. For * they shall still 
bring forth fruit in old age ; '* and the man that 
simply ' trusteth in the Lord ' ' shall not be careful 
in the year of drought, neither shall cease from 
yielding fruit. '^ 

Some of the fruits of the Spirit seem to be espe- 
cially and peculiarly characteristic of sanctified 
older years ; and do we not want to bring them all 
forth ? Look at the splendid ripeness of Abraham's 

* faith ' in his old age ; the grandeur of Moses' 
■* meekness,' when he went up the mountain alone 
to die; the mellowness of St. Paul's 'joy' in his 
later epistles; and the wonderful 'gentleness' of 
St. John, which makeS us almost forget his early 
character of 'a son of thunder,' wanting to call 

.down God's lightnings of wrath. And 'the same 

Spirit ' is given to us, that we too may bring forth 

^ fruit that may abound,'^ and always * more fruit. '^ 

The third bright side is brightest of all : ^Even 

^ Prov. iv. 18. 2 Phil. i. 6. 3 Eccles. xii. 3. * Ps. xcii. 14. 

5 Jer. xvii. 7, 8. ^ Phil, iy, 17. 1 John xv. 2. 



284 TRoisal JSounti2, 

to your old age, I am He;^^ always the same 
Jehovah- Jesus ; with us 'all the days,' bearing and 
carrying us * all the days ; ' reiterating His promise 
— ' even to hoar hairs will I carry you . . . ; even 
I will carry and will deliver you,'^ just as He car- 
ried the lambs in His bosom. ^ For we shall always 
be His little children, and ' doubtless '* He will 
always be our Father. The rush of years cannot 
touch this ! 

Fear not the westering shadows, 

O Children of the Day ! 
For brighter still and brighter, 

Shall be your homeward way. 
Resplendent as the morning, 

With fuller glow and power, 
And clearer than the noonday. 

Shall be your evening hour. 



TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 



^tbe jearne0t0 of flDore anb fiDore* 

* He hath given you the former rain moderately, and He 
will cause to come down for you the rain, the former rain, 
and the latter rain in the first month,'' — Joel ii. 23. 

OD keeps writing a commentary on His Word 
in the volume of our own experience. That 

1 Isa. xlvi. 4. 2 Isa. Ixiii. 9 ; ib. xlvi. 4. 

8 Isa. xl. II. * Isa. Ixiii, 16. 



Xlbc Earnests ot /Iftorc anD /Iftore* 285 

is, in so far as we put that volume into His hands, 
and do not think to fill it with our own scribble. 
We are not to undervalue or neglect this com- 
mentary, but to use it as John Newton did, when 
he wrote — 

' His love in time past forbids me to think 
He'll leave me at last in trouble to sink ; 
Each sweet Ebenezer I have in review 
Confirms His good pleasure to help me quite through/ 

The keywords of what the Spirit writes in it are, 
' He hath,' and therefore ' He will.' Every record 
of love bears the great signatures, ' I am the Lord, 
I change not ; '^ ' Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, 
and to-day, and for ever. '^ Every Hitherto of 
grace and help is a Henceforth of more grace and 
more help. Every experience of the realities of 
faith widens the horizon of the possibilities of faith. 
Every realized promise is the stepping-stone to one 
yet unrealized. 

This principle (and it is a very delightful one) 
of arguing from what God has done for us to what 
He will do for us, comes up perpetually in all parts 
of His word. If He ka^k given us the former rain, 
it is the pledge and proof that ' He wi7/ cause to 
come down for us the rain, the former rain, and the 
latter rain ; '^ the blessing already given shall be 
continued or repeated, and a fuller future one shall 
be certainly added. Manoah's wife argued well: 
' If the Lord were pleased to kill us. He would not 
. . . have showed us all these things, nor told us 
such things as these.'* Oh consider wAaf things 

1 Mai. iii. 6. 2 Heb. xiii. 8. 3 Joel ii. 26. * Judges xiii. aj. 

19 



286 IRoi^al JBounti2» 

the Lord has shown and told yon and me ! are they 
not abounding proofs of His purposes towards us? 
David made frequent use of the thought, arguing 
from the less to the greater : ' The Lord that de- 
livered me out of the paw of the lion and out of the 
paw of the bear, He will deliver me out of the 
hand of this Philistine.'^ St. Paul gives a close 
parallel, rising from temporal to spiritual deliver- 
ance : ' I was delivered out of the mouth of the 
lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every 
evil work.'^ 

' Who delivered us from so great a death and 
doth deliver ; in whom we trust that He will yet 
deliver us.'^ 

' The Lord hath heard the voice of my supplica- 
tion ; the Lord ^£//// receive . my prayer.'* 'The 
Lord hath dealt bountifully with me,' comes first ; 
then follows, * Deal bountifully with Thy servant ; ' 
and then, 'Thou shalt deal bountifully with me.' 
' The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof 
we are glad,'^ leads us on to the prophecy, ' Be 
glad and rejoice, for the Lord will do great things.'® 

The same argument is used in prayer. ' Pardon, 
I beseech Thee, the iniquity of Thy people, . . . 
as Thou hast forgiven this people, from Egypt even 
until now.'^ ' Thou hast delivered my soul from 
death ; wilt Thou not deliver my feet from falling?'^ 
So in the lovely typical request of Achsah to her 
father, 'Give me a blessing; for thou hast given 
me a south land ; give me also springs of water. '^ 

* I Sam. xvii. 37. 2 2 Tim. iv. 17, 18. 3 2 Cor. i. 10. 

* Ps. vi. 9. 6 Ps. cxxvi. 3. 6 Joel ii. 21. 

' Num. xiv. 19. 8 Ps. Ivi. 13. 9 Judges i. 15. 



Zbc JEarneets of /IBore ano /iBore. 287 

Turn now to the basis of such expressions of trust 
and petition. * He that spared not His own Son,' 
— there is the entirely incontrovertible fact of what 
He hath done : ' shall He with Him also freely give 
us all things,'^ — there is the inspired conclusion of 
what He will do. ' Having loved His own which 
were in the world, He loved them unto the end.'^ 
' He which /ia//i begun a good work in you wi7l 
perform it until the day of Jesus Christ.'^ For how 
true is the type, both as to each individual temple 
of the Holy Ghost, and ' all the building that 
groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord :'* — ' The 
hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of 
this house, his hands shall also finish it,'^ — ' His 
own house, whose house are we.'^ Our Lord Jesus 
Christ endorses it in the very amen of His great 
prayer : ' I have declared unto them Thy name, 
and wi7/ declare it.'^ Only let us simply receive 
and believe what He shows us and tells us, and then 
to every Nathanael who comes to Him, He will 
say, ' Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under 
the fig-tree, believest thou ? thou shalt see greater 
things than these. '^ Then we shall have, personally 
and indeed, ' showers of blessing.'^ 

Unto him that hath Thou givest 

Ever more abundantly ; 
Lord, I live because Thou livest, 

Therefore give more life to me, 
Therefore speed me in the race, 
Therefore let me grow in grace. 



1 Rom. viii. 32. 2 John xiii. i. 3 Phil. 1. 6. 

* Eph. ii. 21. 6 Zech. iv. 9. 6 Heb. iii. 6. 

^ John xvii. 26. 8 John i. 50. ^ Ezek. xxxiv. 26b 



288 IRosal JSountg* 

THIRTIETH DAY. 



tTbc perpetual preeence^ 

' Lo, I am with you alway.' — Matt, xxviii. 20, 

SOME of us think and say a good deal about * a 
sense of His presence ; ' sometimes rejoicing 
in it, sometimes going mourning all the day long 
because we have it not; praying for it, and not 
always seeming to receive what we ask ; measuring 
our own position, and sometimes even that of 
others, by it ; now on the heights, now in the 
depths about it. And all this April-like gleam and 
gloom instead of steady summer glow, because we 
are turning our attention upon the se^ise of His 
presence, instead of the changeless reality of it ! 

All our trouble and disappointment about it is 
met by His own simple word, and vanishes in the 
simple faith that grasps it. For if Jesus says simply 
and absolutely, ' Lo, I am with you alway,'' what 
have we to do with feeling or ' sense ' about it ? 
We have only to believe it, and to recollect it. And 
it is only by thus believing and recollecting that we 
can realize it. 

It comes practically to this : Are you a disciple 
of the Lord Jesus at all? If so. He says to you, 
' I am with you alway. ^ That overflows all the 
regrets of the past and all the possibilities of the 
future, and most certainly includes the present. 



^be perpetual ipresence. 289 

Therefore, at this very moment, as surely as your 
eyes rest on this page, so surely is the Lord Jesus 
with you. *I ani,^ is neither 'I was,' nor 'I will 
be.' It is always abreast of our lives, always en- 
compassing us with salvation. It is a splendid per- 
petual ^ Now.'' It always means 'I am with you 
now,^ or it would cease to be * I am ' and ' alway.' 

Is it not too bad to turn round upon that gracious 
presence, the Lord Jesus Christ's own personal 
presence here and now, and, without one note of 
faith or whisper of thanksgiving, say, '■ Yes, but I 
don't realize it ! ' Then it is, after all, not the 
presence, but the realization that you are seeking — 
the shadow, not the substance ! Honestly, it is so ! 
For you have such absolute assurance of the reality, 
put into the very plainest words of promise that 
divine love could devise, that you dare not make 
Him a liar and say, ' No ! He is not with me ! ' 
All you ca7i say is, *I don't feel a sense of His 
presence.' Well, then, be ashamed of doubting 
your beloved Master's faithfulness, and ' never open 
thy mouth any more '^ in His presence about it. 
For those doubting, desponding words were said in 
His presence. He was there, with you, while you 
said or thought them. What must He have thought 
of them ! 

As the first hindrance to realization is not be- 
lieving His promise, so the second is not recollecting 
it, not 'keeping it in memory.'^ If we were always 
recollecting, we should be always realizing. But 
we go forth from faith to forgetfulness, and there 

1 Ezek. xvi. 63. 2 i Qor. xv. 2. 



290 TRoisal Sount^, 

seems no help for it. Neither is there, in ourselves. 
But ' in Me is thine help.'^ Jesus Himself had pro- 
vided against this before He gave the promise. He 
said that the Holy Spirit should bring all things to 
our remembrance.'^ It is no use laying the blame 
on our poor memories, when the Almighty Spirit is 
sent that He may strengthen them. Let us make 
real use of this promise, and we shall certainly find 
it sufficient for the need it meets. He can, and He 
will, give us that holy and blessed recollectedness, 
which can make us dwell in an atmosphere of re- 
membrance of His presence and promises, through 
which all other things may pass and move without j 
removing it. 

Unbelief and forgetfulness are the only shadows J 
which can come between us and His presence ; 
though, when they have once made the separation, 
there is room for all others. Otherwise, though all 
the shadows of earth fell around, none could fall 
between ; and their very darkness could only in- 
tensify the brightness of the pavilion in which we 
dwell, the Secret of His Presence. They could not 
touch what one has called ' the unutterable joy of 
shadowless communion.' 

What shall we say to our Lord to-night? He 
says, *I am with you alway.' Shall we not put 
away all the captious contradictoriness of quota- 
tions of our imperfect and double-fettered experi- 
ence, and say to Him, lovingly, confidingly, and 
gratefully, * Thou art with me ! '^ 

1 Hos. xiii. 9. 2 John xiv. 26. 3 Ps. xxiii. 4. 



{Tbe 3fame*e?:celllng IRealit^, 291 

* I am with thee ! ' He hath said it, 

In His truth and tender grace ! 
Sealed the promise, grandly spoken, 
With how many a mighty token 

Of His love and faithfulness ! 

* I am with thee ! ' With thee always 

All the nights and ' all the days ; ' 
Never failing, never frowning, 
With His loving-kindness crowning, 

Tuning all thy life to praise. 



THIRTY-FIRST DAY. 



tTbe 3fame*eycelUng IRealit^j. 

* Thou exceedest the fame that I heard.' — 2 Chron. ix. 6. 

THOU ! Lord Jesus ! for whom have I in heaven 
but Thee ? and there is none upon earth that 
I desire beside Thee/ Thou ! who hast loved me 
and washed me from my sins in Thine own blood. 
Thou ! who hast given Thyself for me. Thou ! 
who hast redeemed me, called me, drawn me, 
waited for me. Thou ! who hast given me Thy 
Holy Spirit to testify of Thee. Thou ! whose life 
is mine, and with whom my life is entwined, so that 
nothing shall separate or entwine it. ^ Thou ex- 
ceedest the fame that I heard 1 ' 

1 Ps. Ixxiii. 23. 



292 IRoi^al :fi3ounti2. 

Yet I heard a great fame of Thee. They told 
me Thou wert gracious. They told me as much as 
they could put into words. And they said, ' Come 
and see.'^ I tried to come, but I could not see. 
My eyes were holden,^ though Thou wast *not far.'^ 
Then I heard what Thou wast to others, and I knew 
that Thou wast the same Lord. But now I believe, 
not because of their saying, for I have heard Thee 
myself, and know that Thou art indeed the Christ, 
the Saviour of the world — my Saviour. Thee, 
'whom 1 shall see for myself,'* I now know for my- 
self; my Lord and my God.^ 

I did not understand how there could be satisfac- 
tion here and now. It seemed necessarily future, 
in the very nature of things. It seemed, in spite of 
Thy promises, that the soul could never be filled 
with anything but heaven. But Thou fillest, Thou 
satisfiest it. 

Now it wonderingly rejoiceth, 

Finds in Thee unearthly bliss, 
Rests in Thy divine perfection, 

And is satisfied with this. 

Altogether fair and lovely, 

Evermore the same to me ; 
Precious, infinite Lord Jesus, 

/ am satisfied with Thee ! ' 

— Jean S. Pigoft. 

For Thou exceedest the fame that I heard. I find 
in Thee more than I heard, more than I expected. 



1 John i. 46. 2 Luke xxiv. 16. 3 Acts xvii. 27. 

* Job xix. 27. 5 John xx. 28. 



Zbc 3fame=ejceUin9 IRealftig. 293 

'more than all.' The excellency of the knowledge 
of Thee, Christ Jesus my Lord, not only includes 
all other treasures of wisdom and knowledge, but 
outshines them all. Every other fame that I heard 
has had some touch of disappointment ; imagina- 
tion could always flash beyond reality, even if actual 
expectation, quieted by experience, had kept within 
the mark. But ' now I see '^ that Thou exceedest 
all that God-given mental powers can reach ; every 
glirnpse is but an opening vista, all the music is but 
a prelude ; what I know of Thee only magnifies the 
yet unknown. All the God-implanted craving for 
something beyond, all the instinct for the infinite, 
is met, responded to, satisfied in Thee. There is no 
part of my being but finds its full scope and its true 
sphere in Thee. 

Thou exceedest all that I heard in every respect. 
No one could tell me what Thy pardoning love, 
Thy patience. Thy long-suffering would be to me. 
No one could tell me how Thy strength, Thy grace, 
Thy marvellous help woula fit into the least as well 
as the greatest of my continual needs. No one 
could tell me what grace was poured into Thy lips 
for me.^ Thou art All to each of Thy children ; a 
complete and all excelling Christ to every one, as 
if it were only for each one. Thy secret is with 
each.^ Thou givest the white stone and the nev/ 
name which no man knoweth saving he that re- 
ceiveth it.* And if Thou exceedest all that I heard, 
now and here amid the shadows and the veils, how 



1 John ix, 25. 2 Ps. xlv. 2. 

8 Ps. XXV. 14. 4 Rev. ii. 17, 



294 TRogal JSount^. 

far more exceeding will be Thy unshadowed and 
unveiled glory ! Lord Jesus, I bless Thee for Thy 
promised eternity. For I shall need it all to praisfc 
Thee, that Thou exceedest the fame that I heard i 



THE ROYAL INVITATION 



OR 



DAII^Y THOUOHTS 



OF 



Coming to Cbriet 



FIRST DAY. 



- ^be 6fver of tbc flnvitation. 

'Come unto Me.' — Matt. xi. 28. 

THIS is the Royal Invitation. For it is given 
by the King of kings. We are so familiar 
with the words, that we fail to realize them. May 
the Holy Spirit open our ear that we may hear the 
voice of our King in them/ and that they may 
reach our souls with imperative power.'' Then, 
* they shall know in that day that I am He that 
doth speak. '^ 

^ Lord, to whom shall we go?'* Not 'to w/iaf 
shall we go.' For the human heart within us craves 
a personal, living rest and refuge. No doctrines, 
however true ; no systems, however perfect ; noth- 
ing mental, moral, or spiritual, will do as the 
answer to this question of every soul that is not 
absolutely dead in trespasses and sins.^ As surely 
as you and I are persons, individualities, real sep- 
arate existences, so surely must we have a Person, 
no less real and individual, to whom to go in our 
more or less conscious need of salvation. And sc^ 

1 John X. 27. 2 I Thess. i. 5. 8 Isa. lii. 6» 

^ John vi. 68. 5 Eph. ii. z. 

(297) 



29S ^be TRoi^al Ifnvitation. 

the great word of Invitation, Royal and Divine, 
is given to us, ' Come unto Me ! ' 

'Unto M^e.' Just think what that one word 
means ! Seek out all the great and wonderful 
titles of Christ for yourself, and write after each 
one — 'And He says, Come unto Me/^ Unto 
Me, 'the mighty God, '^ nothing less than that! 
* Mighty to save '^ and ' ready to save me.'^ 

Then seek out all the exquisitely winning 
beauties of the character and words and ways of 
Him who went about doing good,^ till you 'have 
heard Him and observed Him '^ all through those 
years of patient and perfect ministry, and recollect 
all the time that it is Ife who says to you, ' Come 
unto Me/'^ Unto Him, the man Christ Jesus,'^ 
full of compassion, and tender yet royal grace. 

Then look at the great central scene of the 
universe, — the central moment not of a world's 
history only, but of eternity ; — look at the Saviour, 
who His own self bare our sins in His own body 
on the tree,^ bowing His bleeding head under that 
awful burden,^ because His faithfulness was unto 
the death,^° and His love was strong as death ! ^^ 
'Behold your God,''' and 'Behold the Man,''' 
who loved you and gave Himself for you;'* hear 
His own touching call, ' I said, Behold Me, behold 
Me ! "^ Look away from all the 'other things,* 
look at the Crucified One, and, as you gaze, re- 
member that He says, 'Come unto Me ! ' 

1 Isa. ix. 6. 2 Isa. Ixiii. i. 3 Jsa. xxxvili. 20. 

4 Acts X. 38. 5 Hos. xiv. 8. f* Matt. xx. 28. 

^ I Tim. ii. 5, ^ i Pet. ii. 24. ^ Isa. liii. 6. 

10 Johnxiii. I. H Cant. viii. 6. ^2 Isa. xl. 9. 

13 John xix. 5. 14 Gal. ii. 20. 15 Isa. Ixv. i. 



\ ^be (3iver of tbe Invitation, 299 

Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by,^ that 
both from the depth of sorrow and from the height 
of glory this Royal Invitation comes to you ? 

For it is the call not only of Jesus Crucified, but 
of Jesus Reigning and Jesus Coming. ' See that ye 
refuse not Him that speaketh,'^for He is coming to 
judge the quick and the dead.^ He is reigning now, 
and there are no neutrals in His kingdom.* All are 
either willing and loyal subjects, or actual rebels, — 
those who have obeyed the King's call, and come, 
and those who have 'made light of it,'^ and not 
come. 

Which are you ? 

Think of the day when the great white throne is 
set,^ and when the Son of man shall come in His 
glory j'^ when all will be gathered before Him, and 
He shall separate them one from another,^ and know 
that it is ' this same Jesus '^ who now says to you, 
*Come unto Me T 

Just as I am — without one plea, 
But that Thy blood was shed for me, 
And that Thou bidd'st me come to Thee, 
O Lamb of God, I come! 

1 Lam. i. 12. 2 Heb. xii. 25. 3 Acts x. 42. 

* Luke xi. 23. 5 Matt. xxii. 5. 6 Rev. xx. 11. 

'^ Matt. XXV. 31. 8 Matt. xxv. yz. 9 Acts i. 11. 



3°o <lse IRogai Invitation. 



SECOND DAY. 



Mbat 10 ' eoming ' ? 

* Come unto Me,' — Matt. xi. 28. 

BUT what is '^coming"?' 
One's very familiarity with the terms used 
to express spiritual things, seems to have a ten- 
dency to make one feel mystified about them. 
And their very simplicity makes one suspicious, 
as it were, that there must be some mysterious and 
mystical meaning behind them,^ because they 
sound too easy and plain to have such great 
import. 'Come' means 'come,' — ^just that ! and 
not some occult process of mental effort. 

What would you understand by it, if you heard 
it to-day for the first time, never having had any 
doubts or suppositions or previous notions what- 
ever about it? What does a little child under- 
stand by it ? It is positively too simple to be 
made plainer by any amount of explanation. If 
you could see the Lord Jesus standing there, right 
before you, and you heard Him say, ' Come ! ' ^ 
would you say, ' What does '* come " mean ? ' And 
if the room were dark, so that you could only hear 

1 I Cor. ii. 14. 2 Matt. xiv. 29. 



Mbat [6 'Coming'? 301 

and not see, would it make any difference ? Would 
you not turn instantly towards the * Glorious 
Voice ' ? ^ Would you not, in heart, and will, and 
intention, instantaneously obey it ? ^ — that is, if 
you ^believed it to be Himself.^ For * he that 
cometh to God must believe that He is.' * The 
coming so hinges on that, as to be really the same 
thing. The moment you really believed, you would 
realiy come ; and the moment you really come, you 
really believe. Now the Lord Jesus is as truly and 
actually * nigh thee '^ as if you could see Him. 
And He as truly and actually says ' Come ' to you 
as if you heard Him. Fear not, believe only,^ and 
let yourself come to Him straight away ! * Take 
with you words, and turn to the Lord : say unto 
Him, Take away all iniquity, and receive us gra- 
ciously.'^ And know that His answer is, 'Him that 
cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out.'^ 

Do you still feel unaccountably puzzled about it? 
Give a quiet hour to the records of how others came 
to Him. Begin with the eighth of St. Matthew, 
and trace out all through the Gospels how they 
came to Jesus with all sorts of different needs, and 
trace in these your own spiritual needs of cleansing, 
healing, salvation, guidance, sight, teaching. They 
knew what they wanted, and they knew Whom they 
wanted. And consequently they just came. Ask 
the Holy Spirit to show you what you want and 
Whom you want, and you will talk no more about 

1 Isa. XXX. 30. 2 Jer. iii. 22. 3 Heb. xi. 6. 

i John vi. 35. 5 Deut. xxx. 14. 6 Luke viii. 50. 

Hos. xiv. 2. 8 John vi. 37. 

20 



302 XTbe IRo^al ITnvitatiom 

what it means, you will just co7ne} And then you 
will say, ' Now we believe, not because of thy say- 
ing ; for we have heard Him ourselves, and 
know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of 
the world ;'^ and you will say, 'J/yLord and my 
God.'^ 



THIRD DAY. 



HII ^binga are IReabij* 

* Come ; for all things are now ready.' — Luke xiv. 17. 

/t LL things ! God the Father is ready to save 
.zl you.* Jesus Christ is ready to receive you."* 
The Holy Spirit is ready to dwell in you.^ Are you 
ready ? 

All things. The ' great salvation ' is ready for 
you.^ The full atonement is made for you.^ The 
eternal redemption is obtained for you.^ Are you 
ready? 

All things. The cleansing fountain is opened 
for you.^° The robe of righteousness is wrought for 
you.^^ The way into the holiest is consecrated for 
you.^^ Are you ready? 

All things. All things that pertain unto life and 

1 John xii. 32. 2 John iv. 42. 3 John xx. 28. 

4 Isa. xxxviii. 20. 5 John vi. 37. 6 Rom. viii. 9. 

7 Heb. ii. 3. 8 Rom. v. 11. 9 Heb. ix. 12. 

10 Zech. xiii. i. ^^ Rom. iii. 22. l^ Heb. x. 19, 20. 



mi Zbims ate IReaD^. 303 

godliness are given you by His Divine power. ^ 
Exceeding great and precious promises are given 
you.^ The supply of all your need is guaranteed 
to you.^ Strength and guidance, teaching and 
keeping, are provided for you. Even the good 
works in which you shall walk are prepared for 
you.* A Father's love and care and a Saviour's 
gift of peace are waiting for you. The feast is 
spread for you.^ All these things are ready for 
you.* Are you ready for them ? 

Even if you did not heed nor believe any other 
words of Jesus, could you — can you — doubt His 
dying words ? Surely they are worthy of all ac- 
ceptation ! ^ What are they ? 

' It is finished ! '^ 

Wha^ is finished ? ^ I have finished the work 
that Thou gavest Me to do.'^ And what is that 
work? Simply the work of our salvation. That is 
the reason why all things are now ready, because 
Jesus has finished that all-inclusive work. When 
a thing is finished, how much is there left to do ? 
The question sounds too absurd with respect to or- 
dinary things. We hardly take the trouble to an- 
swer, ' Why nothing, of course ! ' When Jesus h.is 
finished the work, how much is there left for you to 
do ? Do you not see ? Nothing, of course ! You 
have only to accept that work as really finished, and 
a' rept His dying declaration that it is so.^*^ What 
further assurance would you have ? Is not this 
tjnough ? Does your heart say Yes, or No ? 

1 I Tim. iv. 8. 22 Pet. i. 3, 4. 3 Phil. iv. 19. 

^Eph. ii.io. 5 Isa. XXV. 6. •^ Matt. xxii. 4. 

7 I Tim. i. 15. ^ John xix. 30. 9 John xvii. 4. 
10 2 Tim. ii. 13. 



304 ^^^ IRoi^al Ifnvitation, 

*Do ye now believe?'^ Settle that; and then 
what follows ? Hear another word of the Faithful 
Witness.^ Remember, it is no less true than the 
other. The Holy Lips that spoke that grand truth 
on the cross spoke nothing that could deceive or 
mislead. 'Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that 
believeth on Me hath everlasting life.'^ What does 
this mean? Just what it says, and nothing less! 
It means that even if you never believed before — even 
if you never had a spark of faith or glimmer of 
hope before — yet if you have now given your heart- 
assent to Jesus and His finished work, you have 
now everlasting life !* That heart-assent is believ- 
ing ;^ and ' he that believeth on the Son hath ever- 
lasting life.' ^ And this * believing' is * coming;''' 
and thus coming you shall find for yourself that all 
things are indeed ready. 

What now ? Shall praise be the only thing not 
ready? Will you not now prove your acceptance 
of the great gift of eternal life ® by pouring out your 
thanks ^ at once for it, and prove your trust in the 
finished work^° by praising the Saviour who died to 
finish it for you ?^^ 

From the cross uplifted high, 
Where the Saviour deigns to die, 
What melodious sounds I hear, 
Bursting on my ravished ear ! 
Love's redeeming work is done; 
Come, and welcome ! sinner, come ! 



1 John xvi. 31 ; Mark ix. 24. 2 Rev. i. 5. 3 John vi. 47. 

4 Acts viii. 32-39. ^ John iii. 16. 6 John iii. 36. 

"^ John vi. 35. 8 Rom. vi. 23; 2 Cor. ix. 15. ^ Cor. i. la, 

W Isa. xii. I, 2. 11 I Pet. ii. 9. 



Bow, 305 

Spread for thee the festal board, 
See with richest dainties stored ; 
To thy Father's bosom pressed, 
Yet again a child confessed. 
Never from his house to roam ; 
Come, and welcome ! sinner, come ! 

Thomas Haweis. 



FOURTH DAY. 



mow. 

' Come now.' — Is A. i. 18. 

ALL things are now ready, therefore come 
now ! 
Experience does not run on rails laid regularly 
down, and readers do not always go hand in hand 
and heart to heart with the writer. I only wish 
they did. Then we might try to lead on more 
quickly, instead of reiterating the one call, in the 
hope that it may, first or last, be heard and obeyed.^ 
Please do not imagine, because there are twenty- 
seven more chapters on the same subject, that 
there is any sort of slow necessary progress, any- 
set of ideas and feelings to be gone or got through, 
gradually working up to the climax of ^coming.' 
This is all cut short by the simple word, * Come 
now /^ Nothing can be plainer. Therefore, if 
you postpone coming, you are calmly disobeying 
God. When we bid a child to 'come,' we do not 

1 Isa. xxviii. 10. 



3o6 ZTbe IRoi^al ITnvitatfon. 

count it obedience unless it comes at once, then 
and there. It is not obedience if it stops to con- 
sider, and coolly tells you it is ^really thinking about 
coming,' and waits to see how long you will choose 
to go on calling it/ 

What right have we to treat our holy Lord as we 
would not think of letting a naughty child treat 
us?^ He says, 'Come now.' And 'now' does not 
mean to-morrow.^ ' To-day, if ye will hear His 
voice, harden not your hearts.'^ 

Put it to yourself, what if this night God should 
require your soul of you, ^ and you had not 'come?' 
What if the summons finds you still far off, when 
the Precious Blood was ready, by which you might 
have been made nigh?^ You do not know what a day 
may bring forth.'' There are plenty of things be- 
sides immediate death which may just as effectually 
prevent your ever coming at all if you do not come 
now. This might be your last free hour for com- 
ing. To-morrow the call may seem rather less 
urgent, and the 'other things entering in '^ may 
deaden it, and the grieved Spirit may withdraw^ 
and cease to give you even your present inclination 
to listen to it, and so you may drift on and on, 
farther and farther from the haven of safety^" (into 
which you may enter now if you will), till it is out 
of sight on the horizon. And then it may be too 
late to turn the helm, and the current may be too 
strong; and when the storm of mortal illness at 

1 Rom. X. 21. 2 Jer. vii. 13 ; Isa. Ixv. 2. 

^ Jas. iv. 14. 4 Heb. iv. 7. 5 Luke xii. 20. 

6 Eph. ii. 13. "^ Prov. xxvii. i 8 Mark iv. 19, 

9 Eph. iv. ^o. 10 Ps. li. n. 



Comina into tbe Brfi. 307 

last comes, you may find that you are too weak 
mentally or physically to rouse yourself even to 
hear, much less to come. What can one do when 
fever or exhaustion are triumphing over mind and 
body? Do not risk it. Come now! And ' though 
your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as 
snow ; though they be red like crimson, they shall 
be as wool.'^ 



FIFTH DAY. 



Coming into tbe Hrft* 

* Come thou, and all thy house, into the Ark.' — Gen. vii. I. 

NO need to repeat the story ! We knew it all at 
six years old. To-day the words are sent to 
you, ' Come thou ! ' 

We are either inside or outside the Ark. There 
is no half-way in this. Outside is death, inside is 
life.^ Outside is certain, inevitable, utter destruc- 
tion.^ Inside is certain and complete safety.* 
Where are you at this moment? Perhaps you dare 
not say confidently and happily, * I am inside;' and 
yet you do not like to look the alarming alternative 
in the face, and say, 'I am outside!' And you 
prefer trying to persuade yourself that you do not 
exactly know, and can't be expected to be able to 

1 Isa. i. 18. 2 Deut. xxx. 15-19. 

s John iii. 36. 4 i John v. 12. 



3o8 ^be TRoi^al Unvitation* 

answer such a question. And you say, perhaps with 
a shade of annoyance, * How a?n I to know?'^ 
God's infallible Word tells you very plainly, 'If 
any man be in Christ, he is a new creature : old 
things are passed away; behold, all things are 
become new.'^ 'A very severe test!' you say. I 
cannot help that ; I can only tell you exactly what 
God says. * I cannot reverse it,'^ and you cannot 
alter it. So then, if old things have not passed 
away in your life, and if you are not a new crea- 
ture,* 'born again, '^ altogether different in heart 
and life and love and aim,^you are not 'in Christ.'^ 
And if you are not ' in Christ,' you are out of 
Christ,® outside the only place of safety. 

' Come thou into the Ark ! ' It is one of the 
devices of the destroyer to delude you into fancy- 
ing that no very decided step is necessary. He is 
very fond of the word 'gradually.' You are to 
become more earnest — gradually. You are to find 
salvation — gradually. You are to turn your mind 
to God — gradually. Did you ever think that God 
never once uses this word nor anything like it ? 
Neither the word nor the sense of it occurs in any 
way in the whole Bible with reference to salvation.^ 
You might have been ' gradually ' approaching the 
Ark, and 'gradually' making up your mind to 
enter ; but unless you took the one step into the 
Ark, the one step from outside to inside, what 
would have been your fate when the door was shut ?^° 



1 I John V. 13. 2 2 Cor. v. 17. 3 Num. xxiii. ao. 

* Gal. vi. 15. 5 John iii. 3. 61 John iii. 14. 

"^ Eph. ii. 12, 13. 8 Acts iv. 12. 9 Prov. xviii. 10. * 
10 Gen. vii. 21, 22. 



Coming into tbe Brft, 309 

* Come thou into the Ark ! ' I want the call to 
haunt you, to ring in your ears all day and all night, 
till you come} 

For at this moment, if you are not in the Ark, 
you are in more awful danger than you can conceive. 
Just because you know it is so awful, you shut your 
eyes and try not to think of it ! But there it is, all 
the same. Any moment the door may be shut for 
yoiu^ Any hour may be the sunset of your day of 
grace, with no twilight of possibilities of salvation 
beyond.^ And then, as the tree falleth, so it lieth.* 
As death finds you, so the judgment will find you.^ 
Where it finds you, inside or outside the Ark, there 
the day of the Lord will find you, ' in the which 
the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and 
the elements shall melt with fervent heat ; the 
earth also, and the works that are therein, shall be 
burned up. '^ What will you do then,'^ when neither 
heavens nor earth afford even a standing place for 
you?^ 

But ' come thou into the Ark ! ' Jesus is the Ark. 
He is the hiding-place ^ from that fiery tempest. *I 
flee unto Thee to hide me ^^^ * from the wrath to 
come.'" 'Thou art my Hiding-place.'^^ 

He who brings the flood ^^ has provided the Ark. 
And the door is open. It ?£//// be shut some day 
— it may be shut to-morrow. What will you do if 
you find yourself not shut in,^'^ but shut out? Whose 
fault is it if you do not enter in and be saved ? 

1 Heb. xii. 25. 2 Matt. xxv. 10. ' 3 Luke xiii. 25-28. 

4 Eccl. xi. 3. 5 Rev. XX. 12, 6 2 Pet. iii. 10. 

7 Jer. V. 31. 8 Rev. vi. 17. 9 Isa. xxxii. 2. 

10 Ps. cxliii. 9. H Matt. iii. 7. 12 Ps. xxxii. 7. 

13 Gen,, vi. 17. 14 Gen. vii. 16. 



3IO Zbc IRo^al ITnvitation, 

Noah did not put it off. He and his family 
entered the self-same day into the Ark.^ I wonder 
if any of Noah's acquaintances were thinking about 
coming when the flood overtook them, and even 
coming ' gradually ' nearer ! We are told that 
' Noah on/y^ remained alive, and they that were with 
hiai z'tz the Ark.' Then, once more, 'Come thou 
into the Ark,' that when the 'great and terrible 
day '^ comes, you may be ' found of Him in 
peace,'* ' found zn Him.'^ 

The rising tempest sweeps the sky, 
The rain descends, the winds are high ; 
The waters swell, and death and fear 
Beset thy path, no refuge near ; 
Haste, traveller, haste ! 

Oh, haste ! a shelter you may gain, 
A covert from the wind and rain, 
A hiding-place, a rest, a home, 
A refuge from the wrath to come : 
Haste, traveller, haste ! 

W. B. COLLYER. 

1 Gen. vii. 13. 2 Gen. vii. 23. 3 Joel ii. 31, 

4 2 Pet. iii. 14. 5 Phil. iii. 9. 



S)rawn into tbe Brfe. 311 



SIXTH DAY. 



2)rawn into tbe Hrft* 

* Thou shall come into the Ark.' — Gen. vi. i8. 

YOU would like to take this great step out of 
danger into safety ; but you find it very hard, 
though it sounds very easy. You feel as if you had 
spiritual nightmare, — seeing the danger, and not 
able to stir hand or foot to escape it.^ 

Perhaps every one who comes to Christ has this 
sense of utter helplessness about it.^ This is because 
the Holy Spirit must convince us that the whole 
thing is God's doing, and not ours, so that He may 
have a// the glory of saving us from beginning to 
end.^ It is not at all because He is not willing to save 
us, but just because He zs willing, that He lets us 
find out for ourselves that our own will is so numb 
that it cannot rouse and move without the fire of 
His love and grace.* 

Now just trust His promise, ^ Thou shalt come 
into the Ark;' in other words, believe that His 
power and love are even now being exerted upon 



1 Rom. V. 6. 2 Deut. xxxii. 36. 

3 Isa. xlii. 8: ib. lix. 16. * Eph. ii. i. 



^^. 2 



XLhc IRoi^al Ifnvitation* 



you, and that your sense of helplessness is only part 
of Hi? wonderful way of drawing you to Jesus. 
God th^ Father is 'not willing that any should 
perish/ but that all should come to repentajice.'^ 

Then why do any perish? Simply because they 
/£'^;zV come; because they will not yield to the 
winning love and the drawing' power which i.; 
now being put forth to save you, if, as you read this, 
you wan^ to be saved. There is no sadder word in 
the Bible than ' Ye 7c>i7/ not come to Me, that ye 
might have life.'^ But if you are saying, ever so 
feebly and faintly, 'I will,' God meets it with His 
strong and gracious 'Thou shalt.^'^ 

Do not fear to take the ^Thou' to yourself. Re- 
member the great 'Whosoever will, '^ and look up 
at this star of promise in the dark, ' Thou shalt come 
into the Ark.' Jesus said, 'AH that the Father 
giveth Me shall come to Me.'^ And the Father 
says, 'I will cause him to draw near, and he shall 
approach unto Me ; for who is this that engaged his 
heart to approach unto Me?'^ Whose heart? Is it 
not yours? You would hardly be reading these 
pages, if your heart were not at all engaged to 
•approach unto Him. And if it is so engaged, who 
engaged it ? Who but the God from whom alone 
<2// holy desires do proceed ? 

Then go on a few verses farther, and see the word 
of the Lord to you. ' Yea, I have loved thee with 
an everlasting love ; therefore with loving-kindness 

1 2 Pet. iii. g. 2 i Tim. ii. 4. 3 John v. 40. 

^Jer. iii. 19. 5 Rev. xxii. 17. 6 John vi. 33 

? Jer. XXX. 21. 



Drawn into tbc Brft., 313 

have I drawn thee.'^ Now do not wrong, and 
wound, and insult that tremendous love by refusing 
to believe it. He is at this moment giving you the 
personal proof of it, by 'drawing'^ you even for 
these few minutes. Do not resist the half-formed 
wish to come to Jesus. It is very solemn to realize 
that this is no less than the Father's own drawing 
of you to His dear Son.^ Without it you could not 
come, because you know you would have refused to 
come";* but with it, if only you yield to it, ^ thou 
shalt come into the Ark.' 

When the dove found no rest for the sole of her 
foot, and returned to Noah because the waters were 
on the face of the whole earth, 'then he put forth 
his hand, and took her, and pulled her in '^ (margin, 
'caused her to come') 'unto him into the Ark.' 
What a beautiful picture is this little helpless tired 
dove ^ of our helplessness and weariness, and the 
kind Hand, strong and tender, which does not leave 
us to flutter and beat against a closed window, but 
takes us, zxiA pulls us ^unfo Him,^ into the Ark ! ' 

So we have the willingness of the Father ^ in one 
part of the type,^ and the willingness of the Son in 
another part,^" — willingness to receive you into safety 
and rest." Then ' Come thou into the Ark ! '^^ 

1 Jer. xxxi. 3. 2 Hos. xi. 4. 3 John vi. 44. 

4 Luke xiii. 34. ° Gen. viii. 9. 6 Isa. Ix. 8. 

■7 Luke xiv. 23. 8 Ezek. xviii. 23. ^ 2 Cor. vi. 17. 

10 Luke XV. 2. 11 John xii. 32. 12 Gen. vii. i. 



3^4 XLbc IRoisal Ifnvltatfon. 



SEVENTH DAY. 



Coming for IReet* 

* Come unto Me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and 
I will give you rest.' — Matt. xi. 28. 

'npHIS is nof your rest.'^ God says so, and 
A therefore it is no use seeking or hoping or 
trying for it.^ You may as well give up first as 
last. The dove found no rest for the sole of her 
foot till she came to the ark f and neither will you. 
And the end of the dreary vista of unrest all 
through the years of a life without Christ, is, ' They 
have no rest day nor night.'* 

'The people shall weary themselves for very 
vanity.'^ Do you know anything about that? 
'They weary themselves to commit iniquity.'® 
'Thou art wearied in the greatness of thy way.' ^ 
Do these words come home to you ? Or, ' But 
now He hath made me weary ; Thou hast made 
desolate all my company ? '® Whether it is the 
weariness of sin or of sorrow, of vanity or of deso- 
lation (and sooner or later the one must lead into 

1 Mic. ii. 10. 2 Eccl. ii. 17-ao. 3 Gen. viii. 9. 

* Rev. xiv. II. 5 Hab. ii. 13. 6 Jer. ix. 5. 

f Isa. Ivii. 10. 8 Job xvi. 7. 



Comlns for IRest. 315 

the other), the gentle call floats over the troubled 
waters, * Come unto Me all ye that labor ' (or * are 
weary ') * and I will give you rest.' 

But stay ; you may, or rather you must, put in a 
double claim to the promise. You may not be 
consciously, particularly weary or labouring; but 
whether conscious of it or not, you are heavy 
laden, unless the one great burden of sin is taken 
away from you.^ It is a fact, whether the Holy 
Spirrt has convinced you of it or not as yet,^ that 
unless your iniquity is taken away by personal 
washing in the only Fountain,^ you are in the posi- 
tion described in the 38th Psalm, ' Mine iniquities 
are gone over my head : as an heavy burden, they 
are too heavy for me.'* So much too heavy for 
you, that if you do not accept Christ's offer of rest 
from that burden,^ you will never be able to find or 
follow the path of life.® But why bear it one min- 
ute longer when Jesus says, * Come unto Me, all ye 
that are heavy laden, and I will give you rest ' ? 

* He hath given us rest by His sorrow, and life 
by His death ;' * rest from thy sorrow and from thy 
fear, and from thy hard bondage wherein thou wast 
made to serve, ''^ Come and take the gift! It is 
gloriously real. It is no mere slight and tempo- 
rary sense of relief. ' We which have believed do 
enter into rest.'® 

And He gives us ' rest on every side,'^ — complete 
rest, guarded and sheltered all round. ^° 

1 Isa. i. 4; ib. liii. 6. 2 John xvi. 8, 9, 

3 Zech. xiii. 1 ; i John i. 7. 4 Ps. xxxviii. 4. 

5 Ps. Iv. 22 ; Ezek. xxxiii. 10. 6 Ps. xvi. 11 ; i Pet ii. 24. 

' Isa. xiv. 3. 8 Heb. iv. 3. 

8 I Chron. xxii. 18. 10 i Kings v. 4. 



31 6 tibe IRo^al IFnvftatiom 

It is not only xtst from all the weariness and bur- 
dens, but rest in Himself. Jesus is spoken of in 
type as ' the Man of Rest,'^ ' and His rest shall be 
glorious.'^ It is this, His own Divine rest, that He 
will give. 

* This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the 
weary to rest.'^ Is it not worth having? Will you 
not come for it ? You> cannot have it without com- 
ing to Jesus ;* but only come, and it .shall be yours 
— for there stands His word — and ' in returning and 
rest shall ye be saved. '^ 

I heard the voice of Jesus say, 

* Come unto Me and rest ; 
Lay down, thou weary one, lay down 

Thy head upon My breast.' 
I came to Jesus as I was, 

Weary, and worn, and sad ; 
I found in Him a resting-place, 
And He has made me glad. 

Dr. H. BonaRo 

1 I Chron. xxii. 9. 2 Isa. xi. 10. 3 Isa. xxviii. 12- 

* Hos. xiii. 9. 5 Isa. xxx. 15. 



TOant ot OTiu. :<i7 



EIGHTH DAY. 



Mant of Mill. 

' Ye will not come to Me, that ye might have life.' — John 
V. 40. 

IT is almost certain that some whose eyes glance 
over these pages will be conscious that they do 
not very much care to come to Christ, for this is at 
once the commonest and the most fatal hindrance. 
Vou cannot honestly say that you want to come. 
You perhaps go as far as to say, with momentary 
seriousness, ' I wish that I wished ! ' but no farther. 
In your inmost heart you would rather be ' let 
alone, '^ not considering that that is the most ter- 
ribly certain beginning of doom. You are not per- 
fectly comfortable, but you are not so uncomfort- 
able as to feel inclined to make any effort. And 
as long as you can keep from thinking about it, you 
say you are * very happy.' Now believe me, yours 
is a ten times worse and more dangerous state than 
if you were a condemned murderer, knowing his 
doom, realizing his sin and therefore seeking the 

1 Hos. iv. 17. 
21 



3i8 Ebe TRo^al ITnvltatfon* 

Saviour and coming to Him ' with all the desire of 
his mind.'^ 

For so long as you are not willing, /.<?., not 
actually and actively willing to come (for that is the 
meaning of the original), of course you cannot 
come. And without coming to Jesus you cannot 
have life.^ And if you do not have life, there is 
nothing but death for you, — the second death with 
all its unknown terrors, into the realities of which 
any moment may plunge you.^ Your not believing 
this makes no difference to the fact.* Your doubt- 
ing it makes no difference to its certainty. I assert 
it on the authority of the Word of God. * I call 
heaven and earth to record this day against you, 
that I have set before you life and death. There- 
fore choose life.'^ For in not willing life, you are 
willing death, and ' why will ye die ? '^ 

W/iy ? Is it not utterly unreasonable ? Would 
any but a lunatic walk with mirth and fun over the 
thin crust which hides unknown depths of boiling 
lava ? Would you enjoy a picnic in the midst of it ? 
Yet this is less mad than what you are doing. 

Then you will say, 'I can't help it ! I can't 
make myself care ! ' Exactly so ; and just in this 
fact lies, not your excuse, but your one hope and 
help. You cannot make yourself care to flee from 
the wrath to come. '^ You cannot rouse yourself to 
be willing to come to Christ for salvation. But 
One can.^ And you may and can ask for the Holy 



1 Deut. xviii. 6, 2 i John v. 12. 3 Rev. xxi. 8. 

* Rom. iii. 3, 4. 5 Deut. xxx. 19 ; Jer, xxi. 8. 

* Ezek. xviii. 31. 7 Matt, iii, 7. 8 Hos. xiii. 9. 



mant ot Winu 319 

Spirit to make you willing. You can say, ' O God, 
give me Thy Holy Spirit to make me willing to 
come, for Jesus Christ's sake.' God makes no con- 
dition whatever as to giving this. The Blessed 
Spirit is promised most simply and unconditionally 

• to them that ask Him.'^ T/ti's promise says noth- 
ing even about desiring or thirsting; it premises 
absolutely nothing, but comes to the lowest depths 
of sjn-paralyzed will — it is only and simply, ' Ask.* 

Remember that one spirit or the other is now 
working in you. It is very awful to read of ' the 
spirit that now worketh in the children of disobe- 
dience ; '^ and what is more direct disobedience 
than not coming when Jesus calls ? Therefore 
'ask,' and ask at once, for the other spirit, the 
Holy Spirit, who can make you ' willing in the day 
of His power, '^ — God the Holy Ghost, who 
' worketh in us to will.'* 

Think of Jesus saying, * How often would I,' 

* but ye would not. '^ Ife is willing. 

May He give you ' one heart to do the command- 
ment of the King ! '^ 

Come, Holy Spirit, heavenly Dove, 
With all Thy quickening powers ! 

Come, shed abroad a Saviour's love. 
And that shall kindle ours ! 

Dr. Watts. 

1 Luke xi. 9-13. ^ Eph. ii. 2. 3 Ps. ex. 3. 

* Phil. ii. 13. 6 Luke xiii. 34. 6 2 Chron. xxx, 12. 



320 XLbc IRoisal fnvitatfom 



NINTH DAY. 



^be Call of tbe Spirits 

*And the Spirit and the Bride say, Come.' — Rev. xxii. 17, 

HAVE you thought about ' the love of the 
Spirit ' ?^ Have you realized that God's 
' loving Spirit '^ says to you, ' Come ' ? Are you 
conscious that if you refuse to listen to this gentlest 
call, you are ' grieving '^ the Holy Spirit of God, 
— ' vexing '* Hun by the rebellion to which this 
refusal really amounts, — ' resisting '^ the Holy 
Ghost, whose power alone can work ^ in you the 
holiness without which you can never see the 
Lord?^ 

Every ' Come ! ' in the Bible is the call of the 
Spirit. For 'all Scripture is given by inspiration 
of God,'^ and the ' holy men of God spake as they 
were moved by the Holy Ghost. '^ And every time 
that a still small voice in your heart says ' Come/ 
it is the call of the Spirit. Every time the remem- 
brance of the Saviour's sweetest spoken word floats 

1 Rom. XV. 30. 2 Ps. cxliii. 10, p. v. b. 3 Eph. iv. 30. 

4 Isa. Ixiii. 10. 5 Acts vii. 51. 6 2 Thess. ii. 13. 

V Heb. xii. 14. ^ 2 Tim. iii. 16. ^ 2 Pet. i. 21. 



tibe Call ot tbe Spirit 321 

across your mind, it is the Holy Spirit's fulfilment 
of our Lord's promise that * He shall bring all 
things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have 
said unto you.'^ Last time those words, ' Come 
unto Me,' came into your mind, whether in some 
wakeful night hour, or suddenly and unaccountably 
amid the stir of the day, did you think that it was 
the very voice of the Holy Spirit speaking in your 
heart ? Or did you let other voices drown it, not 
knowing that the goodness of God was leading you 
by it?^ 

Every time an ambassador of Christ^ bids you 
come, and every time that any one who loves Him 
tries to speak a word for Jesus to you, it is the call 
of the Spirit and the Bride ; for the Bride is the 
Church of Christ,* and she is the privileged instru- 
ment through which the clear music of the call is 
oftenest heard. 

What makes you take the trouble to read this 
book ? Why is there any attraction at all for you 
in the subject? Is it not that the Holy Spirit is 
causing your heart to vibrate, it may be but very 
feebly as yet, at the thrill of His secret call ? Your 
awakening wish to come is the echo of that call. If 
you stop and listen, it will be heard more distinctly 
and winningly. The call -will grow fuller and 
stronger as you turn and yield, and follow it. And 
the same blessed Spirit will give you power to do 
this.^ He will show you your need of Jesus, and 
He will testify of Jesus to you, so that you shall he 



1 John xiv. 26. 2 Rom. ii. 4. ^ 2 Cor. v. 20. 

^ Eph. V. 25-32 ;2Chron. xxxvi. 15, 16. 5 i Thess. v. 24. 



12 J. XTbe IRoi^al ITnvitation. 

willing to come.^ Do you feel very helpless about 
it T Do you wish you had the mighty aid of the 
Almighty Spirit, so that you might rise and come 
while Jesus of Nazareth passeth by ?'^ Then why do 
you not ask for it ? Who is to blame if you do 
not have what is to be had for the asking?* Christ 
Himself has put the promise in the very plainest 
words: 'Ask, and it shall be given you,' and 
* Every one that asketh receiveth.'^ What could 
you wish Him to say more ? What could He possi- 
bly say more? Clearly, if you have not, it is 
because you ask not.* But if you are asking for 
the Holy Spirit in the name of Jesus, you have al- 
ready the earnest of the Spirit,'^ and you shall have 
more and more.® So take courage ! 

But it is no light thing to put away a holy desire, 
however feeble ; because it sprang not from your 
own heart, but is the voice of the Spirit saying, 
Come ! It will not always speak, if not obeyed. 
Turn back from Revelation to Genesis, and you 
find the shadow of the bright light of the winning 
call in the unchanged warning note : * My Spirit 
shall not always strive with man.'^ Not always, 
dear, unknown friend, whom I would fain win for 
my Lord, — not always ! But He is striving now. 
He is calling now, * To-day, if ye will hear His 
voice. '^" Listen, yield, come ! 

1 John XV. 26. 2 John v. 7. 3 Mark x 47-49. 

4 Luke xi. 13. 5 Matt. vii. 7, 8. 6 Jas. iv. 2. 

"^ 2 Cor. i. 22. 8 Matt. xiii. 12. 9 Gen. vi. 3 ; Prov. xxix. x. 
10 Heb. iv. 7. 



Come ano See* 323 



TENTH DAY. 



Come anb See* 

* He (Jesus) saith unto them, Come and see.' * Philip saith 
Unto him, Come and See.' — John i. 39, 46. 

WHEN Jesus had found Philip, Philip knew 
that he had found Him. And the next 
thing to knowing that ' we have found Him ' is to 
find some one else, and say, * Come and see ! ' I 
say it now to you, dear friend, known or unknown, 
* We have found Him ! '^ ^ We see Jesus ! 'Mf you 
only knew the irresistible longing,^ the very heart's 
desire * that you should find and see Him too, you 
would pardon all the pertinacity, all the insistence, 
with which again and again we say, ' Come and 
see ! ' The woman of Samaria left her water-pot, 
and went her way into the city with the same mes- 
sage : * Come, see a man which told me all things 
that ever I did.'^ And we to whom Jesus has said, 
^ I that speak unto thee am He,'^ cannot do other- 
wise or less. 
/ _^___ 

1 John i. 45. 2 Heb. ii. 9. ^ 1 Cor. v. 14. 

* Rom. X. I. 6 John iv. 28, 29. 6 John iv. 26 : i Cor. ix. 16 



324 ^be IRoisal ITnvltatiom 

It is not always very easy to say it. You little 
know how much it sometimes costs us ! ^ You do 
not know that though the few words seem so easily 
spoken, and you take them as a matter of course 
from us, because you know we are of ' that way"^ of 
thinking, they may have cost us not a little wrest- 
ling with God for faith and courage to utter them, 
and an effort which will leave us weary and 
exhausted. But *we cannot but speak the things 
which we have seen and heard; '^ 'we also believe, 
and therefore speak.'* We have seen Jesus,^ and 
therefore we must tell you of the sight, and entreat 
you to * come and see.' Understand or misunder- 
stand us as you will, we must ' say, Come ! '^ 

But what is it that we are so burningly eager for 
you to see ? Very likely you suppose it is just that 
we have a certain set of views that we have taken 
up, and we want you to hold the same. You think 
it is merely that we want to bring you over to our 
opinions, and that we want to have the satisfaction 
of getting you to agree with us ! Oh, how wide of 
the mark ! It is no such thing. We are not speak- 
ing of what we think, but ' we speak that we do 
know, and testify that we have seen.'^ We have 
seen by faith^ the only sight that is worth gazing 
upon, the sight that satisfies the angels,^ the sight 
that is enough for the joy and satisfaction of im- 
mortal vision throughout eternity. One thing we 
know, that, whereas we were blind, now we see.^" 

1 2 Sam. xxiv. 24. 2 Acts xix. 9 ; ib. ix. 2. 3 Acts iv. 20. 

4 2 Cor. iv. 13. 5 I John i. 3. 6 Rev. xxii. 17. 

7 I Johniv. 14 ; Johniii. 11. * Heb. xi. 27. 9 i Tim. iii. 16. 

10 John ix. 25. 



Come anD See* 325 

We see Jesus, as our Lord and our God.^ 

We see Him as the very Saviour we need, and 
the very Friend we craved. 

We see Him as ' the Son of God, who loved me 
and gave Himself for me.'^ 

We see Him wounded for our transgressions, and 
bruised for our iniquities f our Substitute and our 
Sin-bearer. 

We see Him, too, crowned with glory and 
honour,^ and we rejoice in His glory and beauty f 
we make our boast of Him.^ 

If you say to us, ^ What is thy Beloved more than 
another beloved? '^ we reply, 'My beloved is the 
chiefest among ten thousand. Yea, He is alto- 
gether lovely.' 

It is not at all only for your own sakes that we 
want you so very much to come and see. We do 
want you to look and be saved. ^ But our earnest- 
ness has a stronger spring than even that. We love 
our Lord, so that we cannot bear Him not to be 
esteemed aright. We cannot bear Him to be 
thought little of, and to be misunderstood f it is 
pain, real pain, to us when He is not appreciated 
and loved and adored, ^° — when all that He has done 
is treated as not worth whole-hearted gratitude and 
love," — when His great and blood-bought salvation 
is neglected. ^^ For His own beloved sake, for His 
own glory's sake, we want you to come and see, 
that you may love and bless and glorify Him ! 

1 John XX. 28. 2 Gal. ii. 20. 3 Isa. liii. 5. 

4 Heb. ii. 9. 5 Zech. ix. 17. 6 Ps. xxxiv. 2. 

7 Cant. V. 9, 10, 16. 8 Isa.xlv. 22. 9 i Pet. ii. 4. 

^0 Isa. liii. 3. 11 Lam. i. 12 12 Heb. ii. 3. 



326 Zbc "fi^o^al irnvitatiom 

But, remember, this is not only our feeble human 
entreaty; it is Jesus Himself who first said, ar.d 
still says, ' Come and see ! ' He says, ' Behold Me, 
behold Me ! '^ 

I know what you will say when you have come. 
You will say, ' Howbeit, I believed not their word . 
uniill came, and mine eyes had seen it: and, be- 
hold, the half was not told me.^ Thou exceedest 
the fame that I heard ! '^ 

O Master, blessed Master, it is hard indeed to know 

That thousands round our daily path misunderstand Thee so I 

Despised and rejected yet, no beauty they can see, 

O King of glory and of grace, beloved Lord, in Thee. 

O Saviour, precious Saviour, come in all Thy power and 

grace, 
And take away the veil that hides the glory of Thy face \ 
Oh, manifest the marvels of Thy tenderness and love. 
And let thy name be blessed and praised all other names 

above. 

1 Isa. Ixv. I. 2 I Kings x. 7. 83 Chron. ix. 6. 



Zbc Safe IDenture* 327 



ELEVENTH DAY. 



Zbc Safe Denture* 

* Bid me come unto Thee. . . . And He said, 
Come.' — Matt. xiv. 28, 29. 

IF Jesus says, * Come ! ' don't you think you 
may venture ? 

Perhaps it is night in your soul,^ — ^as dark as 
ever it can be. It would not be so bad if you 
could even distinctly see the waves of the troubled 
sea^ on which you, are tossing. You do not know 
where you are. All seems vague and uncertain and 
wretched and confused.' And though the Lord 
Jesus is very near you, though He has come to you 
walking on the water, and has said, ' It is I, be not 
afraid,'* you cannot see Him, and you are not at 
all sure it is His voice ;^ or if it is, that He is 
speaking to you. So of course you are ' troubled.'^ 

And if, in this trouble, you go on trying -to steer 
and row for yourself, these same waves will prove 



1 Ps. cvii. 14. 3 Job. xvi. 16. 3 Jer. xvii. 9. 

4 Matt. xiv. 25. Matt. xiv. 27. 6 Matt. xiv. a6. 



328 XTbe IRopal Unvftatlon, 

themselves to be awfal realities, and you will be lost 
in the storm. Do not venture that ; but venture 
out through the darkness and upon the waves at the 
bare word of Jesus. 

You do not need even to say, * Lord, bid me 
come to Thee ! ' for He has done that already. 
Jesus has bid you ' Come ! '^ and the bidding would 
be no more real if He opened the heavens, and 
said it again to you from the right hand of the 
throne of God. So the only question is, Will you 
venture? 

True, it is but a word, but think Whose word P 
Could the word that Jesus Christ Himself uttered 
be a vain deceit ?^ Is not the Person the guarantee 
of the word?* 'The word only,'^ of the Son of 
God has proved enough for every one of the great 
multitude that no man could number,® and it will 
be enough for you. 

It does not matter in the least that you cannot 
see, and that you cannot feel, and that you cannot 
hear or distinguish anything else at all.^ It does 
not matter in the least that you feel miserable and 
confused, and that you don't know what will come 
next.® It does not matter in the least that you can- 
not exactly understand how this simple coming can 
result in calm, and peace, and safety, and finding 
yourself at the land.^ It does not matter in the 
least th^t the waters are casting up all the mire and 
dirt^° of all the sinfulness of heart and life, the 'old 



1 Matt. xi. 28. 2 Matt. xxiv. 35. 3 John xii. 48. 

4 Num. xxiii. 19. 5 Matt. viii. 8. 6 Rev, vii. 9. 

7 Isa. 1. 10. 8 Isa. ix. 5 ; 2 Chron. xx. 12. 

9 John vi. 21. 10 Isa. Ivii. 20. 



XLbc Safe Denture. 329 

sins,'^ and the besetting sins.^ It does not matter 
in the least that all the winds of doubt seem let 
loose upon you, boisterous and blowing from every 
point to which you turn.^ All this, and everything 
else that is 'contrary,'* is only so much the more 
reason for the simple venture. Just only you 
'come ! ' And even if in the very act of coming 
you are afraid,^ and think you are beginning to 
sink, come on with the cry, ' Lord, save me ! '® and 
immediately Jesus will save you, and with the 
strong grasp of His hand the unanswerable ques- 
tion will come, 'Wherefore didst thou doubt ?'^ 
You need not say, 'If I perish, I perish,'® for you 
will not perish, and cannot perish, in this blessed 
venture of your soul upon His word.^ He ' will 
cause you to know His hand and His might j'^" ' He 
will save. He will rejoice over thee with joy ; He 
will rest in His love,'^^ and you shall rest in His 
love, now and for ever. 

' They shall know in that day that I am He that 
doth speak; behold, it is I.'^^ 

Come, ye weary, heavy laden, 

Lost and ruined by the fall; 
If you tarry till you're better, 

You will never come at all. 
Not the righteous, 

Sinners Jesus came to call. 

Lo ! the incarnate God, ascended, 
' Pleads the merit of His blood ; 



1 2 Pet. i. 9. 2 Heb. xii. i. 3 z Tim. u. 13. 

* Matt. xiv. 24. 5 Mark v. 33. 6 Mati. xiv. 30. 

T Matt. xiv. 31. 8 Esth. iv. 16. 9 John x. 27, 2b. 

10 Jer. xvi. 21. H Zeph. iii. 17. 1^ jga, lij, g. 



330 ^be TRoisal ITnvitatlom 

Venture on Him, venture wholly, 
Let no other trust intrude. 

None but Jesus 
Can do helpless sinners good. 

Joseph Hart. 



TWELFTH DAY, 



Coming BoIMij* 



* Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that 
we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.' 
— Heb. iv. 1 6. 

THEREFORE ! ' because we have ' such an 
High Priest,'^ touched with the feeling of 
our infirmities, and in all points tempted like as we 
are;^ because He is * a Priest upon His throne/^ ever 
living, with His royal power to save to the utter- 
most/ and His priestly power to make intercession ; 
* let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of 
grace. '^ 

Boldness and faith go together ; fear and unbe- 
lief go together.^ *If ye will not believe, surely 
ye shall not be established.'^ It is always want of 
faith that is at the bottom of all fear. ' Why are 
ye fearful?' is the question for those "^ of little 



1 Heb. vii. 26. 2 Heb. iv. 14^ 15, 3 Zech. vi. 13. 

4 Heb. vii. 25. 5 Heb. iv. 16. 6 Rev. xxi. 8. 

7 Isa. vii. 9. 



Coming :©olDli2. ^^t 

faith. *^ So, in order to come boldly, and there- 
fore joyfully, all we need is more faith in the Great 
High Priest who sits upon the throne of grace. 

Now, do not sigh, 'Ah, I wish I had more faith !' 
It will not come to you by languid lamentations 
abvout your want of faith. ^It is the gift of God.'^ 
And if thou knewest this gift of God,^ and who it 
is that only waits to be inquired of,* that He may 
give it thee, surely thou wouldst ask of Him ! For 
H^giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not,^ 
' — not even with all your neglect of Him and His 
gifts. Just ask / and he says, * It shall be given 
you.'^ 'Ye have not, because ye ask not.'^ And 
let the least glimmer of dawning faith iii your heart 
lead you to go on asking, and to pray continually, 
' Lord, increase our faith. ' ^ Then you will be able 
to come boldly ; for ' in Christ Jesus our Lord . . . 
we have boldness and access with confidence by the 
faith of Him.'^ 

People do not come for what they do not want. 
Until the Holy Spirit shows us our need of mercy, 
and puts reality into the Litany prayer, 'Have 
mercy upon us miserable sinners, '^° we shall never 
come to the throne of grace to obtain mercy. 

' He that into God's kingdom comes, 
Must enter by this door.' 

So, if you have never yet felt that you could sin- 
cerely say, ' God be merciful to me a sinner ' ^^ (or. 



1 Matt. viii. 26. 2 Eph. ii. 8. 3 John iv. 10. 

^ Ezek. XXXVI. 37. 5 Jas. i. 5. 6 Matt. vii. 7. 

'' Jas. iv. 2. 8 Luke xvii. 5, 9 Eph. iii. ir, 12. 

^^ Ps. U. I. 11 Luke xviii. 13. 



332 Zbc IRo^al ITnvitation. 

as the Greek has it more emphatically, ' to me, ^ke 
sinner '), and therefore have never yet felt particu- 
larly anxious to come to the throne of grace to ob- 
tain it, I would urgently entreat you to pray, 
^ Lord, show me myself !' When the Holy Spirit 
answers that prayer, you will be eager enough to 
come and obtain mercy ! It will be the one thing^ 
then that you will be particularly anxious about. 

Obtaining mercy comes first; if/ien finding grace 
to help in time of need. You cannot reverse 
God's order. You will not find grace to help in 
time of need till you have sought and found mercy 
to save. You have no right to reckon on God's 
help and protection and guidance, and all the other 
splendid privileges which He promises to ^the chil- 
dren of God by faith in Jesus Christ,'^ until you 
have this first blessing, the mercy of God in Christ 
Jesus ; for it is ^ in ' Jesus Christ that all the prom- 
ises of God are yea, and Amen.^ But He is *rich 
in mercy,'* and *delighteth in mercy.'^ All who 
have come to the throne of grace for it ' are now 
the people of God, which had not obtained mercy, 
but now have obtained mercy. '^ And then no less 
surely will they, and do they, ' find grace to help 
in every time of need.'^ 

' Let us therefore come boldly ! ' 

Behold the throne of grace ! 

The promise calls me near ; 
There Jesus shows a smiling face, 

And waits to answer prayer. 

1 Luke X. 42. 2 Gal. iii. 26. 3 2 Cor. i. 19, 20. 

4 Eph. ii. 4. 5 Mic. vii. 18. 6 i Pet. ii. 10. 

7 Heb. iv. 16. 



M IbinDcance, 333 

My soul, ask what thou wilt, 

Thou canst not be too bold ; 
Since His own blood for thee He spilt, 

What else can He withhold ? 

John Newton. 



THIRTEENTH DAY. 



a 1bint)rance. 

* First be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer 
thy gift.' — Matt. v. 24. 

IT is a strange gift that we have to bring, — so 
strange, that it is in one sense ^nothing,' and 
yet in another sense everything. He asks us for it, 
saying, 'Give Me thine heart; '^ and this heart of 
ours, this gift that we are to bring, worthless and 
yet priceless,^ is one mass of sins and burdens.^ 
Jesus asks for it just as it is, with all the sins and all 
the burdens ; and the moment it is given over to 
Him, the sins are cleansed and the burdens are 
borne for us. 

Do you wish to come to Him with it, and yet 
find that there seems something preventing you from 
really doing so? If so, the verse at the head of this 
chapter may throw God's light upon the secret 
obstacle. * Is there any secret thing withM^^^'* 

1 Prov. xxiii. 26. 2 Jer. xvii. 9. 

3 Matt. XV. 19. 4 Job XV. ii. 

22 



334 ^bc TRo^al Ifnvitatton. 

Christ will either accept the gift altogether, or not 
at ail.^ If there js something which you do not 
really mean to do right about, — some sin which you 
have no real intention of giving up, — it will be a 
fatal barrier. He forgives all or none. If you are 
but willing, His precious blood shall cleanse you 
from all sm.^ But He does not save by halves ; and 
if there is a sin knowingly kept back, then ' ye are 
yet in your sins, '^ and ' thou hast neither part nor 
lot in this matter ; for thy heart is not right in the 
sight of God.'^ 

This may seem a very stern way of putting it ; 
but when such tremendous issues hang upon it, is it 
not folly to shrink from looking the matter straight 
in the face ? The Lord says, ^ First be reconciled 
to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift-* 

This may be literally your case. Som€ one may 
have somewhat against you, — an old quarrel, or a 
fresh misunderstanding, — and you are too proud to 
acknowledge your fault, or your share of it f or you 
are too timid, or even too idle to do so. When 
there are faults on both sides, it is pretty often the 
one most in fault who is the least ready to forgive. 
Now do look into the matter, and see if 3''0u are 
truly^ ' in love and charity with all raen.''^ It is n'> 
use trying to explain away your daily words, ' For- 
give us our trespasses, as we forgive them that 
trespass against us,'® for Christ Himself haj) ex- 
plained and emphasized them. He said, ' But if ye 
forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your 

1 Hos. X. 2. 2 I John i. 7. 3 i Cor. xv. 17 ; \h. iii. 3. 

4 Acts viii 21. 5 Jas. v. 16. 6 Heb. xii. 14, 15, 

7 I John iii. 10, 15. 8 Matt. vi. 15, 



% IbfnDrancc, 335 

Father forgive your trespasses.' There is no evading 
this. There is absolutely 71a forgiveness for you, if 
you do not forgive ; for * who can forgive sins but 
God only? '^ 

And it is no use saying, ' Well, I will forgive, but 
I can't forget!' You know quite well in your 
heart that the very tone in which you say that, shows 
that you are not really forgiving, and God knows 
what is at the bottom of your * caLn't/orgef /' 

DTn't turn round fiercely, and say, 'But if I 
can't, I can't ! ' For * the things which are impos- 
sible with men, are possible with God.'^ 

Read the 45th of Genesis, and see how Joseph 
forgave f and remember that the same Spirit of 
God which was in him is freely promised to you. for 
the asking. 

And then look at the still greater example of per- 
fect forgiveness, — hear the smitten King in His 
lonely death-agony saying, ' Father, forgive them ! '* 
' For He knew that forgiveness would raise them to 
the very level of H^.s ihrur.e ; so Ho must have 
literally loved His murderers with the love where- 
with His Father loved Him.'^ Oh, it is hard to for- 
give anything, when one looks away to the for- 
giveness of Jesus. ^ 

Then come and offer thy gift. 

I Mark ii. 7. 2 Luke xviii. 27. 3 Gen. xlv. 1-15. 

4 Luke xxiii. 34. 5 John xvii. 26. fi Eph. iv. 32. 



33<5 ilbe TRoi^al fnvttatlom 



FOURTEENTH DAY. 



^be fintreat? to Come* 

* Come near tome, \ pray you.' — Gen. xlv. 4. 

^ nPHERE stood no man with him, while Joseph 
A made himself known to his brethren. And he 
wept aloud. '^ They had hated him, conspired 
against him to slay him, very nearly killed him, 
sold him into exile and slavery, and here was the 
brother's recompense for all this — love ! No such 
exquisite story of love and forgiveness was ever 
imagined by any writer ; no such climax of tender 
ness as Joseph's words through his tears, ' Come 
near to me, I pray you.' Only one thing surpasses 
the type, and that is the antitype. 

Our Elder Brother was more than ' very nearly 
killed.' He poured out His soul unto death.'' 
We are not innocent of His blood ;^ for ^ He was 
wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised 
for our iniquities.'* 'Christ died /(?r our sinsj*^ 
Mark that, — not merely ' for us,' but 'for our sins t^' 

1 Gen. xlv. i. 2 Isa. liii. 12. 3 Zech. xiii. 6. 

4 Isa. liii. 5. 01 Cor. xv. 3. 



Zbc jEntreat^ to Come, 337 

for yours. tAnd where has been the love and 
gratitude that you have owed Him all this time?^ 
Where has been the mefe acknowledgment of what 
He has suffered for your sins?^ He did this for 
you, and because of you. And what have you done 
for Him, and because of Him ?' 

And what could you now expect from Him ? 
What did Joseph's brothers expect after their be- 
havior to him ? Well may the Lord say^ ' I know 
the tlioughts that I think towards you — thoughts of 
peace, and not of evil.'* For just as Joseph's words 
to |;iis brethren were not, ' Go away, I will have no 
more to do with you,' so the Lord Jesus ' upbraideth 
not,' but says, ' Come near to Me, \pray you.' 

His whole life says it. It is the epitome of all 
He said and did, — winning, beseeching, entreating 
the far-off to come nigh, giving His own blood that 
they might be made nigh.^ 

What is the eloquence of * those wounds in 
Thine hands ?'^ Are they not always saying, *I 
pray you ' ? For ' all day long I have stretched forth 
My hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying 
people.'^ 

' All day long,' while you are dressing, and eat- 
ing, and talking, and laughing, and working or 
amusing yourself, Jesus is stretching forth His 
hands to you, calling you, waiting for you, looking 
for the first little thrill of recognition from you, 
saying, * I am Jesus whom thou persecutest,^ whom 
thou neglectest, whom thou grievest.' 

1 Ps. cxvi. 12 ; 2 Cor v. 15. 2 i Pet. iii. 18. 

3 Phil. iii. 8. 4 Jer. xxix. 11. 5 Eph. ii. 13. 

6 Zech. xiii. 6. 5f Rom. x. 21. 8 Acts ix. 5. 



33^ n:be TRoi^al 1[nvltation» 

Joseph's brethren were troubled at His presence.* 
Do you reply, ' Therefore I am troubled at His 
presence ; when I consider/ 1 am afraid of Him '?^ 
Would you, honestly, rather flee from His presence ?' 
Stay and listen. 

' Come near to Me, I pray you.' 

There is forgiveness with Him ;* will you not 
come and receive it ? — Forgiveness for you, though 
every sin of yours that is forgiven had to be borne 
in His dying agony.^ His love has not changed 
from the moment when He said, * Father, forgive 
them.'^ What must that love have been ! And 
what must it be for you and me, for whom He can- 
not make the gracious excuse, 'They know not 
what they do ! ' 

Come alone to Him, and Jesus will make known 
Himself^ and His forgiving love to you. 

One there is above all others, 

Well deserves the name of Friend; 

His is love beyond a brother's, 
Costly, free, and knows no end : 

They who once His kindness prove 

Find it everlasting love. 

John Newton. 

1 Gen. xlv. 3. 2 Job xxiii. 15. 3 Ps. cxxxix. 7. 

4 Ps. cxxx. 4. ^ I Pet. ii. 34. 6 Luke xxiii, 34 

7 Gen. xlv. i. 



Cbe Command to Come. 339 



FIFTEENTH DAY. 



^be CommanJ) to Come^ 

* Come unto me. . . . Now thou art commanded, this do 
ye, ... and come.' — Gen. xlv. i8, 19. 

WE are too much inclined to forget that ^Come' 
is not merely an invitation, but a command. 
An ordinary invitation can be accepted or refused ; 
but a Royal Invitation^ is always a Royal Command, 
giving no option, but requiring obedience. There- 
fore, just so long as we are hanging back, just so 
long as \ye have not come to Jesus, we are living in 
a state of actual disobedience to Him. 

Joseph, whose dealings with his brethren are 
among the most beautiful types, was to say to them 
not only, * Come unto me,' but ^ Now thou art 
cofnmandedy this do ye, — and come ! ' 

The Lord Jesus, the King of Glory, has said the 
very same words, ' Come unto Me ! 'Ho you and 
me. And so we are commanded. There is no 
excusing .ourselves by any uncertainty about it. 



1 Matt. xxii. 2, 3. 2 Matt. xi. 28. 



340 ^be IRoisal 1[nvltation. 

The very moment that ' Come '^ first fell on our 
heart, the command was upon us, and we were 
responsible for obeying it. And every moment 
since, we have been disobeying the plainest and 
sweetest word of command that ever fell on mortal 
ear, unless we have really and truly * come to 
Jesus. ' 

So it is not at all a light thing, but a heavy and 
tremendous sin in which we are living, — the sin of 
direct and continued disobedience to Christ. 

If one single and sudden act of disobedience was 
enough to lose Paradise^ and lead to incalculable 
consequences of misery,^ what about this persistence 
in refusal* to obey this strong and gentle command, 
clearly understood, continually reiterated, and un- 
mistakably personal, Christ's personal command 
to you personally? 'Death without mercy' is as 
terrible a punishment as can well be imagined ; but 
what must be the ' much sorer punishment ' than 
that, which is denounced by the Word of our God 
on those who, instead of merely ' despising Moses' 
law,' have ' trodden under foot the Son of God ?'^ 

We must not and dare not leave out of sight, the 
awful revelation that it is the Lord Jesus Himself,^ 
the very same tender Saviour who now bids you 
* Come,' who will take vengeance in flaming fire on 
them ' that obey not the gospel of our Lord Jesus 
Christ,^ who shall be punished with everlasting de- 
struction from the presence of the Lord.'^ 



1 Deut. XXX. II, 14. 2 Gen. iii. 24. 3 Rom. v. 19. 

4 Prov. i. 24-26. 5 Heb. x. 28, 29. ^ Acts i. 11. 

? 2 Thess. i. 7-9. 8 Matt. xxv. 41, 46 



trbe CommanD to Come* 341 

When I began to write this little book, I never 
meant to say all this. I only wanted to win you by 
ihe sweet, sweet music of my Master's call. I only 
meant to tell you of His patient, forbearing love,* 
waiting so long for you, wanting you to come to 
Him.^ But what can I do ? Half a truth is not *the 
truth.' You may not like it ; but I dare not speak 
to you only smooth things,^ I dare not shun to de- 
clare unto you the whole counsel of God* in this 
matter. * I cannot go beyond the word of the 
Lord my God to do /ess.'^ I should come under 
the awful condemnation of those who ' take away 
from the words of the book,'^ if I did not tell the 
whole message. The Lord has said, ' Diminish not 
a word,'^ and so I entreat you to look for yourselves 
at the passages I have quoted, and * /tear the word 
of the Lord' in them. 

Oh, ' see that ye refuse not Him thatspeaketh !'* 
If you do not obey the ' Come unto Me,' there 
remaineth nothing for you but the ' Depart from 
Me. " 



>9 



Life alone is found in Jesus, 

Only there 'tis offered thee, — 

Offered without price or money, 

'Tis the gift of God sent free : 

Take salvation. 
Take it now, and happy be. 

Albert Midlane. 

1 Rom. X. 21. 2 Rom. ii. 4. 3 Isa. xxx. 10. 

4 Acts XX. 27. 5 Num. xxii. 18. 6 Rev. xxii. 19. 

1 Jer. xxvi. 2. 8 Heb. xii. 25. 9 Matt. xxv. 41. 



342 ^be IRosal fnvitatfon. 



SIXTEENTH DAY. 



* Come unto Me : and I will give you the good of the land of 
Egypt, and ye shall eat the fat of the land. . , . Also 
regard not your stuff ; for the good of all the land of Egypt is 
yours.' — Gen. xlv. i8, 20. 

' TF I become a Christian, I shall have to give up 
A so many things! '^ Spoken or unspoken, this 
is the invariable thought of every one who has not 
found Christ. The presence of this thought is an 
actual test as to whether you have come to Him or 
not ; for the moment you have really come, you 
will know better ! 

* Giving up '^ this, that, and the other, is a down- 
right unfair way of putting it ; unless, indeed, the 
magnificent gain is distinctly set against the paltry 
loss. As well talk of an oak tree ' giving up ' the 
withered leaves which have clung to the dry twigs 
all the winter, when the sap begins to rise fresh and 
strong, and the promise of all the splendour of 
summer foliage is near ! 



1 Matt. xix. 22. a Phil. iii. 7. 



The sons of Jacob were called away from their 
famine-stricken fields by their brother, that they 
might be * nourished '^ by him, and share his pros- 
perity, and dwell 'in the best of the land;'^ receiv- 
ing from his hand a place and possessions far 
beyond what they had 'given up.' Of course 
they could not have all this till they had actually 
come to him ! Before they came, they had only 
his bare word for it.' But they considered his 
word enough, and they came ; and he kept his 
word to the full.* 

Not less, but infinitely more, does the Lord 
Jesus, our Lord and Brother, hold forth to you. Is 
riis word worthy of less belief? Over and above 
the unspeakable gift of eternal life,^ He promises to 
those who leave anything for His sake that they 
' shall receive an hundred-fold now, in this time P^ 
Do you suppose He did not mean what He said ? 

Listen again to the twin promises, negative and 
positive, in their all-inclusive simplicity : ' No good 
thing will He withhold from them that walk up- 
rightly;''' and ' The Lord will give that which is 
good.'® And yet your secret feeling is, that if you 
come and give yourself up to Him, you will have 
to go without all sorts of things that you fancy are 
good and nice and pleasant, and that you will find 
yourself let in for all sorts of things which do not 
seem to you ' good ' at all ! ^ Is this fair, when he 
has said positively just the opposite ? 



1 Gen. xlv. ii. 2 Gen. xlvii. ii, 27. 3 Gen. xlvi. 31- 

* Gen. xlvii. 11, 12. 5 2 Cor. ix. 15. 6 Mark x. 30. 

^ Ps. Ixxxiv. II. 8 Ps. Ixxxv. 12; Matt. vii. ii. 
^ Ps. xxxiv. 10. 



344 ^t)e IRoisal ITnvitatfon. 

Listen again to what He says to those who have 
come, and who are His own : ' Whether . . . the 
world, or life, or death, or things present, or things 
to come ; all are yours ! '^ What do you make of 
that ? It is not figurative, but perfectly true and 
literal. Only you will never be able to understand 
it, until the next verse is true of you : * Ye are 
Christ's.'^ Then another verse will be true of you : 
' Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, 
but the spirit which is of God ; that we might 
know the things which are freely given to us of 
God.*^ Ask for that blessed Spirit of God, and you 
will receive it,* and then you will understand.^ 

Knowing what he was purposing to do for thefn 
as soon as they came, Joseph naturally said to his 
brethren, ' Also regard not your stuff; for the good 
of all the land of Egypt is yours. '^ Take this 
advice, ' regard not your stuff ! ' However much 
you have or may have to give up for Christ, oh, do 
believe the words of His prophet : ' The Lord is 
able to give thee much 77iore than this ! '^ 

Can you not instinctively feel what a thrill of 
deep triumphant joy there is in St. Paul's words: 
* Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for 
the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my 
Lord ! '^ Did you ever feel anything like as glad as 
that? Christ Jesus my Lord is willing and waiting 
to give that same fulness of gladness and blessing to 
every one who will take Him at His word and come 
to Him. 



1 I Cor. iii. 22. 2 I Cor. iii. 23. 3 i Cor. ii. 12. 

4 Luke xi. 13. 5 Prov. xxviii. 5. 6 Gen. xlv. 20. 

1 2 Chron. xxv. 9. 8 Phil. iii. 8. '' 



Harris IRot^ 345 

Yes, to you / 

Oh, the happiness arising 

From the life of grace within, 
When the soul is realizing 

Conquests over hell and sin ! 
Happy moments ! 

Heavenly joys on earth begin. 

On the Saviour's fulness living, 
All His saints obtain delight ; 
"With the strength which He is giving, 
They can wrestle, they can fight. 

Happy moments, 
When King Jesus is in sight ! 

Joseph Irons. 



SEVENTEENTH DAY. 



^arr? Iftot. 

* Come down unto me, tarry not.' — Gen. xlv. 9. 

IT is just this ' tarrying' that is hindering so many 
from coming to the Saviour. What reason 
could there be for Joseph's brethren to ' tarry, '^ and 
go on starving a little longer in their own land, 
when Joseph was waiting to settle them and their 
father and their whole families in the land of Goshen 
^ in the best of the land ?'^ And what reason can 

1 Geo. xliii. i, 2, 2 Gen. xlvii. n. 



346 ^be IRoi^al ITnvjftatfon, 

there be for you to tarry, and go on starved and 
unsatisfied a little longer, when the Lord Jesus is 
waiting to receive you into the * pleasant land'^ of 
His all-satisfying love? Why tarry in the 'far 
country'^ with the husks and the heart-loneliness? 
* Ye shall haste ! ' said Joseph, for his heart was 
eager to do great things for them. 

If you grant the reality of Christ's love at all, do 
you not see that delay in coming down to Him, and 
hesitation in letting Him save you in His own way 
(and there is no other), and putting Him off fr.om 
day to day, must be wounding His love ?^ 

Why do you tarry ? Have you any reason what- 
ever to give Him? 'What wilt thou say?'* Do not 
flatter yourself that all this delay and putting off is 
any preparation for coming, much less any part of 
coming to Him. There are no steps in coming to 
Jesus. Either you come, or you do not come. 
There is only the 'one step, out of self, into Christ. '' 
There are no gradations of approach marked out in 
His Word. If you think there are, search and see; 
do not take my word for it ; look for yourself, and 
see what is the Lord's word about it.^ 

You have nothing to gain, but very much, per- 
haps everything, to lose by 'tarrying.' You are 
accumulating the guilt of disobedience. You are, 
it may be very unconsciously, hardening your 
heart,^ and making the great step more and more 
difficult. Instead of being in a better position for 
coming to-morrow, you will be in a worse one.' 

1 Ps. cvi. 24. 2 Luke xv. 13, 16. 3 Cant. v. 2, 6. 

4 Jer. xiii. 21. 5 Acts xvii. 11, 12. 6 Acts xxiv. 25. 

7 Heb. iii. 7, 8. 



Znn^ IRot* 347 

While you are doing nothing, the enemy is very 
busy strengthening his toils around you, and they 
will be stronger to-morrow than to-day. 

While you are, as you fancy, only lying still, you 
are drifting fast down the stream into the stronger 
current, nearing the rapids, nearing the fatal fall. 

It is a question of life and death. ' Escape for 
thy life; look not behind thee, neither stay thou in 
all the plain. '^ It is the old story of 

* If you tarry till you're better, 
You will never come at all.' 

I do not know any one promise in all the Bible 
for the lingerers. And if you put yourself out cf 
the sphere of God's promises, what have you to 
found any hope at all upon ? 

* Tarry not ! '^ Oh, if I could but reach you and 
rouse you ! 

'And if I care 
For one unknown, oh how much more doth He !'' 

For one who perishes through straightforward 
refusal, there are probably thousands who perish 
through puUi'ng of .^ 'How shall we escape if we' 
refuse — no, if we merely ^neglect — so great salva- 
tion ?'^ 

Yet there is room ! The Lamb's bright hall of song, 
With its fair glory, beckons thee along. 

Yet there is room ! Still open stands the gate, 
The gate of love ; it is not yet too late. 

1 Gen. xix. 17. 2 Heb. iv. 7. 82 Pet. iii. 9. 

* Matt. xxii. 3, 5. 5 Heb. xii. 25 ; Heb. ii. 3. 



348 Zhc IRoijal ITnvltatlon. 

Pass in, pass in ! That banquet is for thee ; 
That cup of everlasting love is free. 

Ere night that gate may close, and seal thy doom ; 
Then the last, low, long cry, — ' No room, no room ! * 

Dr. H. Bonar, 



1 



EIGHTEENTH DAY. 



Wlftbout (Tbrist. 

*At that time ye were without Christ.' — Eph. li. 12= 

I COULD not do without Thee, 
O Saviour of the lost ! 
Whose precious blood redeemed me 

At such tremendous cost. 
Thy righteousness, Thy pardon, 
Thy precious blood — must be 
My only hope and comfort. 
My glory and my plea. 

I could not do without Him ! 

Jesus is more to me 
Than all the richest, fairest gifts 

Of earth could ever be. 
But the more I find Him precious. 

And the more I find Him true. 



mitbout Cbrist. $4^, 

The more I long for you to find 
What He can be to you. 

You need not do without Him, 

For He is passing by ; 
He is waiting to be gracious, 

Only waiting for your cry. 
He is waiting to receive you, — 

To make you all His own ! 
Why will you do without Him, 

And wander on alone ? 



Why will you do without Him ! 

Is He not kind indeed ? 
Did He not die to save you? 

Is He not all you need ? 
Do you not want a Saviour? 

Do you not want a Friend ? 
One who will love you faithfully, 

And love you to the end ? 

Why will you do without Him ? 

The word of God is true : 
The world is passing to its doom, 

And you are passing too. 
It may be, no to-morrov/ 

Shall dawn for you or me, 
Why will you run the awful risk 

Of all eternity ? 

What will you do without Him 
In the long and dreary day 
23 



550 n:be IRo^al irn\?ftatfon. 

Of trouble and perplexity, 

When you do not know the way ; 

And no one else can help you, 
And no one guides you right, 

And hope comes not with morning, 
And rest comes not with night? 

You could not do without Him, 

If once He made you see 
The fetters that enchain you 

Till He hath set you free ; 
If once you saw the fearful load 

Of sin upon your soul, — 
The hidden plague that ends in death 

Unless He makes you whole ! 

What will you do without Him 

When death is drawing near. 
Without His love — the only love 

That casts out every fear; 
When the shadow-valley opens, 

Unlighted and unknown, 
And the terrors of its darkness 

Must all be passed alone ? 

What will you do without Him 

When the great White Throne is set, 
And the Judge who never can mistake, 

And never can forget, — 
The Judge whom you have never here 

As Friend and Saviour sought. 
Shall summon you to give account 

Of deed, and word and thought ? 



Mltbout Cbrist. 351 

What will you do without Him 

When He hath shut the door, 
And you are left outside, because 

You would not come before ; 
When it is no use knocking, 

No use to stand and wait, 
For the word of doom tolls through your 
heart, 

That terrible ' Too late ' ? 



You cannot do without Him ! 

There is no other name 
By which you ever can be saved, — 

No way, no hope, no claim ! 
Without Him — everlasting loss 

Of love, and life, and light ! 
Without Him — everlasting woe, 

And everlasting night. 

But with Him — oh ! with Jesus / — 

Are any words so blest ? 
With Jesus — everlasting joy 

And everlasting rest ! 
With Jesus — all the empty heart 

Filled with His perfect love ! 
With Jesus — perfect peace below. 

And perfect bliss above ! 

Why should you do without Him ? — 

It is not yet too late ; 
He has not closed the day of grace. 

He has not shut the gate. 



352 ^be IRoisal ITnvitatfon* 

He calls you ! — hush ! He calls you l- 
He would not have you go 

Another step without Him, 
Because He loves you so. 

Why will you do without Him ? 

He calls and calls again — 
* Come unto Me ! Come unto Me ! ' 

Oh, shall He call in vain ? 
He wants to have you with Him ; 

Do you not want Him too ? 
You cannot do without Him, 

And He wants — even you ! 



NINETEENTH DAY. 



Come Hwai?* 

* My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up, my love, my 
fair one, and come away.' — Cant. ii. lo. 

WHAT a loving call ! What astonishing con- 
descension, that the Heavenly Bridegroom 
should use such words to — whom ? Would you not 
like to be able to fill up that blank, and say, ' My 
Beloved spake, and said unto m^ /' 

Perhaps you think this is too much for you. You 
feel too sinful and unworthy to be so loved, — too 
defiled to be called * my fair one. ' If so, will you 



Come Bwa^. 353 

turn to a wonderful picture of those upon whom He 
sets His love/ and of what His love does for them, 
asking the Holy Spirit to open your eyes while you 
read it, that you may behold wondrous things out 
of it.=* 

I will not quote it here, because I want you to go 
to His own Book for it. See in it how the Lord 
Jesus goes down to the very depths, and begins at 
the very beginning.^ Your case is not deeper than 
those depths ; for it is even when we are dead^ in 
sins that the great love wherewith God loved us 
reaches and raises us.^ He says, 'Awake, thou that 
sleepest, and rise from the dead, and Christ shall 
give thee light. '^ You cannot be worse than 'dead ; ' 
and the very sense of sin and death working in 
you'' ' is a proof ' that He has said unto you, 
^ Live ! '« 

The call to arise and come away is a proof that 
He is passing by.^ And when Jesus passes by, He 
looks upon you, though you are not yet able to see 
Him. And He says that when He does this, it is 
*the time of love.' ^° And oh, what //zi^;/ implies ! 
What will He not do, when the bright, warm, pow- 
erful rays of the love which passeth knowledge" are 
focussed upon you, and He says even to you, ' My 
love ! ' giving you the glorious right to respond, ' My 
beloved ! ''' 

Read on, and see what He will do 'then ! ' ' Then ' 
the ' thoroughly' washing^^ and the anointing which 



1 Ezek. xvi. 5, 14. 


2 Ps. cxix. 18. 


3 Ps. xl. 2. 


4 Eph. ii. I. 


5 Eph. ii. 4, 5. 


6 Eph. V. 14. 


7 Rom. vii. 13. 


8 Ezek. xvi. 6. 


9 Luke xviii. 37 


10 Ezek. xvi. 8. 


11 Eph. iii. 19. 


12 Cant. ii. 16. 


13 Ps. U. 2. 







354 ^be TRo^al ITnvitatfom 

prepares you for the delight of the King.^ ' Then ' 
the clothing, the girding, and the covering, each 
with their treasures of significance.^ Then 'also' 
the decking and the crowning, and the being made 
' exceeding beautiful ' and ' perfect through My 
comeliness which I had put upon thee, saith the 
Lord God ! '^ When He puts the beauty of the Lord 
our God upon us,* then He can indeed say, ' My 
fair one ! '^ * Fair ' only with His comeliness /' other- 
wise the fairest natural character that was ever seen 
is 'black as the tentsof Kedar,'^ — those miserable 
goats' -hair tents, which are to this day the very type 
of the filthiest blackness. Yet with it, whatever 
your natural character, and whatever your added 
deformity through having been ' accustomed to do 
evil,'^ you will be 'comely as the curtains of Solo- 
mon,' — the type of all that is costly and beautiful 
in colours and workmanship. 

Let Him do all this for you !^ Rise up and come 
away from all that pollutes and separates you from 
Him. 'Shake thyself from the dust, and arise !'^* 
'Arise, shine, for thy Light is come ! '^^ ' Though 
ye have lien among the pots, yet ' (when you come 
to the Light that is come so close to you), ' yet 
shall ye be as the wings of a dove covered with 
silver, and her feathers with yellow gold, '^'^ shining 
and gleaming as you rise and come away, resplen- 
dent in the beams of the Sun of righteousness.^* 
' Rise, He calleth thee ! 'i* ' Come away ! ' 

1 Esth. ii. 12-14. ^ Isa. Ixi. 10; Ps. xlv. 13. 3 Ezek. xvi. 14. 

< Ps. xc. 17. 6 Cant. iv. 7. 6 Rom. viii. 7. 

7 Cant. i. 5. 8 Jer. xiii. 23. » Phil. ii. 13. 

10 Isa. lii. 2. 11 Isa, Ix. i. 12 Ps. Ixviii. 13. 

IS Mai. iv. a. 1* Mark x. 49. 



domfns after ^cens. 355 



TWENTIETH DAY. 



Coming after 3cBm. 

* G>me and follow Me.' — ^Matt. xix. 21. 

FOLLOWING is the only proof of coming.^ 
There is hardly a commoner lamentation 
than this : * I do not know whether I have come or 
not ! '^ And nobody ever says that with a happy 
smile. It is always with a dismal look ; and no 
wonder ! When so much hinges upon it, — poverty 
or riches, safety or danger, life or death, — uncer- 
tainty must and will be miserable. Now, do you 
really want to know whether you have come or not? 
Oar Lord gives you the test, 'Come and follow 
Me!'^ 

If you are willing for that, willing with the will 
that issues in act and deed, then the coming is 
real.* 

If you are not willing to follow, then you may 
dismiss at once any idea that perhaps you have 
come or are coming : there is no reality in it, and 
there is nothing for you but to go away sorrowful. 



1 Ezek. xxxiii. 31. 2 i Kings xviii. 21. 

8 John X. 27. * Matt. xx. 34. 



356 zhe IRoisal IFnvitatfon. 

as the rich young man did, who * came,' but would 
not ' follow.'^ 

The following will be just as real and definite as 
the coming, if there is any reality in you at all ; 
and if you are not deluding yourself with a deceitful 
cloudland of sentimental religion, without founda- 
tion and without substance, which is but a refuge of 
lies which the hail shall sweep away.^ Do not sit 
down in this most serious state of uncertainty, but 
' give diligence to make your calling and election 
sure.'^ 

But you say, ' How am I to know whether I am 
following ? ' Well, following is not standing stilL 
Clearly it is not staying just where you always were. 
You cannot follow one thing without coming away 
from something else.^ Apply this test. What 
have you le/^ for Jesus ?^ What have you left off 
doing for His sake ?^ If you are moving onward, 
some things must be left behind. What are * the 
things which are behind'^ in your life? If the 
supposed coming has made no difference in your 
practical daily life,^ do not flatter yourself that you 
have ever yet really come at all.^ Jesus says, ' If 
any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, 
and take up his cross and follow Me.'^° What light 
does that saying throw upon your case ? Be honest 
about it ; all true coming to Jesus must issue in thus 
coming after Him.^^ 



1 Matt. xix. 22. 2 Isa. xxviii. 17. 3 2 Pet. i. 10. 

4 Rom. vi. 2, 4, 13, 22. 5 Matt. iv. 18-20. 6 Matt. ix. 9. 

7 Phil. iii. 13. 8 Matt. vii. 21. 9 2 Cor. v. 17. 

10 Matt. xvi. 24. 11 Luke xiv. 27. 



domiuQ atter 5c6U0. 357 

Then look at it from the positive side. He has 
left us ' an example that ye should follow His steps. '^ 
As the beautiful collect puts it, * Give us grace that 
we may daily endeavour ourselves to follow the 
blessed steps of His most holy life.'^ Now, what 
are those steps ? Perhaps you are not even looking 
to see what they are, let alone following them ! 
Following the steps is quite a different thing from 
thinking to follow one's own idea of the general 
direction of a course. If you would only take one 
Gospel, and read it through with the earnest pur- 
pose of noting, by the Holy Spirit's guidance, 
what the steps of Jesus are, you would soon see 
clearly whether you are following or not,^ far more 
clearly than by reading any amount of books about 
it, or consulting any number of human counsellors. 
Take for to-day only one indication of what those 
steps were. ^ Who went about doing good.'* Do 
your steps correspond with that ? ^ It is not, * went 
about doing no harm,' but actively and positively 
* doing good.' 

Oh, dear friends, they are ' blessed ' steps in all 
senses of the word ! For His ways are ways of 
pleasantness, and all His paths are peace. ^ Once 
fairly and fully entered, the paradox is always 
solved, the self-denial is lost in the greater joy of 
pleasing Him,' the cross becomes a sceptre in 
the hand of His 'kings and priests.'^ Then you 



1 1 Pet. ii. 21. 2 John xiii. 15. 3 Matt. xi. 29. 

4 Acts X. 38. 5 I John ii. 6. 6 Prov. iii. 17. 

t Phil, iii, 7. 8 Rev, i. 6. 



358 ^be IRo^al ITnvltatfom 

shall * continue following the Lord your God.** 
And the end of the following is, * that where I am, 
there shall also My servant be." 



TWENTY-FIRST DAY. 



Coming witb Jesus. 

* Come with Me.' — Cant. iv. 8. 

'/^^OME away '^ is not all that the Lord Jesus has 
V^ to say to us. ' Come unto Me '* and * Come 
after Me,'^ only lead up to the even more gracious 
invitation, ' Come wi'fA Me.'^ 

' Ye see your calling ;'^ it is nothing less than to 
come wiifk Jesus. The enviable privilege of the 
twelve whom Jesus ordained ' that they should be 
with Him,'^ is freely offered to you. Will you 
avail yourself of it? Will you come with Jesus, 
walking with Him^ from this day every step ot the 
way? Will you accept Him as the Guide with 
whom you will go, the Friend with whom you will 
commune by the way ?^° It will be no dreamy or 
nominal coming with Him, if only you are willing 
to come. You will find it very real in all respects. 
You can never be so really always with any 
earthly friend as you can be with Jesus, and as you 

1 I Sam. xii. 14. 2 John xii. 26 ; Rev. xiv, 4. 3 Cant, ii, 10. 

4 Matt. xi. 28. 5 Matt. xvi. 24. 6 2 Sam. xix, 33. 

7 I Cor. i. 26. 8 Mark iii. 14. 9 Rev. iii. 4, 21. 

10 John vi. 68 ; Ex. xxxiii. 14. 



Coming wftb ^csne* 359 

wi// he, if you. accept the invitation.^ For there 
are two sides to that ' with. ' If you will but come 
with Him, He will come unto you and abide with 
you.' Your natural fear lest, even when you con- 
sent to come to be with Him, you might not re- 
main with Him, is met and completely settled by 
His promise, ' I will never leave thee. '^ And of 
course if He never leaves you, you will always be 
with Him. And if He has said that, of course He 
will So it.* So do not let that objection come up 
again ! 

It is a very common experience in great things 
and small, that the person or thing we most want is 
not there just when we most want him or it. Never 
shall we have to complain of this as to the prom- 
ised perpetual presence of our Lord f for He says, 
' T will be with him in trouble. '® ^ When thou 
passest through the waters, I will be with thee.'^ 
And in the deepest need of all, in the valley of the 
shadow of death, the soul that has yielded to 
the present call will be able to say, * Thou art with 
me.'«» 

I do not think we consider enough how we dis- 
appoint the love of Jesus when we refuse to come 
with Him.^ For He does truly and literally desire 
us to be with Him.^° Would He have made it the 
very climax of His great Prayer, representing it as 
the very culmination of His own rest and glory 
that His people should be with Him,^^ if He did 



1 Prov. xviii. 24. 2 John xiv. 23. 3 Heb. xiii. 5. 

4 Num. xxiii. 19. 5 Matt, xxviii. 20. 6 Ps. xci. 15. 

7 Isa. xliii. 2. 8 Ps. xxiii. 4. 9 Luke .xiii. 34. 

10 Cant. V. 2. 11 John xvii. 24. 



360 Zbc IRo^al ITnvftation. 

not so very much care about it, and was only seek- 
ing and saving us out of bare pity ? No, it was in 
His love as well as in His pity that He redeemed 
us ! ^ And love craves nearness. This is the very 
thing that differences love from the lesser glow of 
mere pity, or kindness, whatever their degrees or 
combinations. The Lord Jesus would not say, 
' Come wifk Me,' if He did not feel towards us 
something far beyond any degree of pity and kind- 
ness. It is the Royal Invitation of His kingly 
love. 

But now, what are you going to do about it ? 
Hearing it, and thinking it very gracious, and all 
that, is not enough. You must come to a point 
about it.^ You must give as definite an answer to 
this as mere common courtesy demands to any 
earthly invitation. Giving no answer is an acknowl- 
edged insult. Will you treat the King thus? And 
if not what shall your answer be? You must give 
it yourself. Christ Himself is waiting for it.^ 

There is a beautiful type* which tells us how a 
maiden was chosen to be the bride of the son of a 
' mighty prince '^ in a far-off land. She was to 
answer for herself about it, and so * they said, We 
will call the damsel and enquire at her mouth. And 
they called Rebekah, and said, Wilt thou go with 
this man ? And she said, I will go.'^ 

Shall this be your answer to-day ? 



1 Isa. Ixiii. 9. 2 i Kings xviii. 21. 3 John vi. 67. 

4 Gen. xxiv. •*> Gen. xxiii. 6. 6 Gen. xxiv. 57, 58, 



Cbe Xivlng Water. 361 



TWENTY-SECOND DAY. 



^be Xivina Mater. 

*If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink.* 
— ^JoHN,vii. 37. 

THE Invitation could not have been given in 
any wider form. Neither could it have been 
given in any form which so certainly concentrates 
all its light and warmth on one point, that point 
yourself ! 

First, there is the grand sweep of the ^anf man. 
Instead of amplifying this into a list of all possible 
varieties of 'rich or poor, old or young,' and soon, 
just never mind about these usual human para- 
phrases, which may or may not seem to include you, 
and come face to face with the magnificently simple 
word of our Lord, 'Any !' and know that it means 
^you r for you cannot possibly get outside of this 
great circle, described by the hand of Infinite Love. 
You cannot possibly say it does not include you. 
Words mean nothing, if this word does not mean 
that you, whose eyes now rest upon it, are included 
and intended. To you the Lord Jesus says, 'Let 
him come unto Me. ' 

But another word is appended which seems at 
first sight to be a limitation. 'If any man thirsty 



362 Zhc IRoisal ITnvitatfon. 

let him come.'^ Is it a limitation ? Ask your own 
heart ! Is there any one who does not thirst ?'^ In 
other words, is there any one who can say before 
God who searches the heart, ^ *I am satisfied. I 
have no sense of thirst, no nameless craving' ? Are 
you satisfied? I do not mean, are you tolerably 
contented and comfortable on the whole and in a 
general way when things are at their best ? But, 
satisfied! — the deep under-the- surface rest and com- 
plete satisfaction of the very heart, the filling of its 
emptiness, the stilling of all its cravings ; and this 
not during the false frothing of excitement or busi- 
ness, but when you are alone, when you lie awake 
in the night, when you are shut away from any 
fictitious filling of your cup, and when the broken 
cisterns have leaked out,* as they will, and do, and 
must, — are you satisfied then? Verily, He who 
knew what was in man^ knew that He was not nar- 
rowing the invitation when He said, 'Let him that 
is athirst, come !'^ 

Did you ever think why it is so utterly hopeless 
and useless to try to quench that inner thirst with 
anything but the living water, 'the supply of the 
Spirit of Jesus Christ' ?^ He has said plainly and 
positively that you shall not succeed !^ He hath 
said, 'Whosoever drinketh of this water shall \ki\x%\. 
again. '^ You see there is no chance for you, for 
His word cannot be broken, and He says you ^ shall 
thirst again. '^° There are only two issues of that 



1 Rev. xxi. 6. 2 Ps. cvii. 5. 3 Ezek. xi. 5. 

4 Jer. ii. 13. 5 John ii. 25. 6 Rev. xxii. 17. 

'^ Phil. i. 19. 8 John vii. 39. 9 John iv. 13. 



10 



John X. 35. 



Zbc Xivfng mater. 36^ 

perpetual thirst. One is the unanswered entreaty 
for a drop of water, only so much as the tip of a 
finger may bear, not to quench the unquenchable 
thirst, but only to coo/ a. flame-tormented tongue.^ 
The other, the on/y other, is, ' Whosoever drinketh 
of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst."^ 
And lest our slow perceptions should fail to grasp 
the fact in the figure, the Lord Jesus repeats the 
promise, and says, *He that believeth on Me shall 
never thirst.'^ Never! for ' He satisfieththe longing 
soul.'* 

*Let him come un/o Me, and drink. '^ You see 
there is only this one way of drinking of the living 
water : you must come to Jesus Himself, personally 
and really. Knowing all about it is not enough. 
Consulting Christian friends, and reading good 
books, and doing any amount of religious duties 
and exercising any amount of self-denial, will 
not stay the more or less conscious heart-thirst. 
The Lord says not a word about any channels ; He 
only says, Tf any man thirst, let him come unto 
Me, and drink.' And ' Whosoever will, let him 
take of the water of life freely.'^ Will not you 
come ? 

1 Luke xvi. 24. 2 John iv. 14. 3 John vi. 35. 

4 Ps. cvii. 9. 5 John vii. 37. 6 Rev. xxii. 17. 



364 Zbc IRoisal irn\>(tation. 



TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 



Zhc Breat) anb Mine* 

* Come, eat of my bread, and drink of the wine which I have 
mingled.' — Prov. ix. 5. 

IN several chapters of Proverbs the Lord Jesus 
Christ is beautifully described under the figure of 
Wisdom. For He is ' the Wisdom of God,' and He 
is ' made unto us Wisdom.'^ 

In this verse He gives a double Invitation, — to 
eat of His bread, and drink of His wine. These 
are the symbols of life and joy — His life and His 
joy. 

' Come, eat of My bread.' * Feed on Him in thy 
heart by faith, with thanksgiving. ' For Jesus Him- 
self is the true Bread from heaven.^ And he that 
eateth of this Bread shall live for ever. For He 
is the Bread of Life, life-giving and life -sustaining.^ 

How shall we eat? It is the old story, — only 
coming, only believing ! For ' he that cometh to 
Me shall never hunger,'* and ^ we are made /^r- 
takers of Christ, if we hold the beginning of our 
confidence steadfast unto the end.'^ 



1 1 Cor i. 24, 30. 2 John vi. 51. 3 John vi. 48 ; Gal. ii. 20. 

4 John vi. 35. 5 Heb. iii. 14. 



^be JSreaO anD mine. 365 

It is not a mere tasting or a bare subsisting to which 
Christ invites us. He says, ' Eat, O friends ; drink, 
yea, drink abundantly, O beloved.'^ For 'I am 
come that they might have life, and that they might 
have it more abundantly ; '^ fulness and vigour of 
life, abounding pulses of vitality, fresh and strong; 
life that shall not and cannot fail, for 'He ever 
liveth ; '^ and ' because I live, ye shall live also. '* 

How often we have sung, ' He hath filled the 
hungry with good things ! '^ Are you hungry ?^ 
Come, eat of His bread, leaving the husks and 
ashes, and you shall know what it is to be filled 
with good things.^ For ' He filleth the hungry 
soul with goodness.'® 

It is not only the solid life-need of bread that is 
provided at the feast which the Lord has made for 
us, but Wine, the symbol of joy, * that maketh 
glad the heart of man.'^ ' Come, buy wine and 
milk without money and without price, '^"because 
the price is already paid for it. His sorrow was the 
price of the joy offered to us. He poured out His 
soul unto death, ^^ that He might pour out His joy 
into our lives. ^^ He emptied the cup which His 
Father gave Him,^^ that He might fill ours till it 
runs over.^* Without price to us, — but oh, the 
price to Him ! 

The Lord Jesus says it is wine which He has 
mingled. Not all one kind, but mingled by Divine 
care and, skill into a perfect draught of manifold 

1 Cant. V. I. 2 John x. lO. 3 Heb. vii. 25. 

4 John xiv. 19. 5 Luke i. 53. 6 Luke xv. 16; Isa. xliv. 20. 

7 Jer, xxxi. 14,25. 8 Ps. cvii. 9. 9 Ps. civ. 15. 

lOlsa. Iv. 1. 11 Isa. liii, 12. 12 John xv. ii„ 

13 John xviii. 11. 14 Ps. xxiii. 5. 

24 



3^6 Zbc TRo^al ITnvftation. 

gladness : ' If they obey and serve Him, they shall 
spend their days in prosperity, and their years in 
pleasures.'^ T/iaf is the heritage of the servants of 
the Lord !^ Did you think it was so pleasant ? Did 
you know that He meant you to spend your years in 
pleasures here^ as well as to give you the pleasures 
for evermore hereafter ?^ * Come, drink of the 
wine that He has mingled,' and you will find out 
what these pleasures are, and how exceedingly real 
they are ! No wonder you are a little skeptical 
about it ! for * eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, 
neither have entered into the heart of man, the 
things which God hath prepared for them that love 
Him; but,^ notice now exactly what is said, * God 
HATH revealed them unto us by His Spirit. ^^ So, 
unless or until God reveals them to you by His 
Spirit, you cannot see or conceive what these pleas- 
ures are which He has prepared for those who love 
Him, — what this wine is which He has mingled for 
those who come to Him. Oh taste and see !* 
Come and put your trust under the shadow of His 
wings '^ and then you shall be abundantly satisfied 
with the fatness of His house, ^ and he shall make 
you drink of the river of His pleasures. 



1 Job xxxvi. II ; Ps. xc. 14. 2 Isa. Ixv. 13, 14. 

3 Ps. iv. 7; Pror. iii. 17. * Ps. xvi. 11. 

5 I Cor. ii. 9, ID. 6 Ps. xxxiv. 8. 

■^ Ps. xxxvi. 7, 8. 8 Ps. Ixiii. 5. 



'mm lou mot come? 367 



TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 



Mill IPou mot Come ? 

* TKou hast received gifts for men ; yea, for the rebellious 
also.'— Ps. Ixviii. 18. 

WILL you not come to Him for life ? 
Why will ye die, oh why ? 
He gave His life for you, for you ! 
The gift is free, the word is true ! 

Will you not come ? oh, why will you die ? 

Will you not come to Him for peace — 

Peace through His cross alone ? 
He shed His precious blood for you ; 
The gift is free, the word is true ! 

He is our Peace! oh, is He your own? 

Will you not come to Him for rest? 

All that are weary, come ! 
The rest He gives is deep and true ; 
'Tis offered now, 'tis offered you ! 

Rest in His love, and rest in His home. 

Will you not come to Him for joy, — 

Will you not come for this ? 
He laid His joys aside for you, 



3 '8 ^be IRo^al irnvltatfom 

To give you joy, so sweet, so true ! 
Sorrowing heart, oh drink of the bliss ! 

Will you not come to Him for love — 

Love that can fill the heart. 
Exceeding great, exceeding free? 
He loveth you. He loveth me ! 

Will you not come ? Why stand you apart ? 

Will you not come to Him for all ? 

Will you not ' taste and see ' ? 
He waits to give it all to you ; 
The gifts are free, the words are true ! 

Jesus is calling, ' Come unto Me ! ' 



i 

TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 



Come IRear* 

* Come ye near unto Me.' — ISA. xlviii. i6. 

* O HE obeyed not the voice ; . . . she trusted 
^ not in the Lord, she drew not near to her 
God.'* What was her portion? *Woe to her !' ^ 

* But, beloved, we are persuaded better things of 
you, though we thus speak.' ' For Jesus says that 
if He is lifted up, He will draw all men unto Him.* 



1 Zeph. iii. a. 2 Zeph. iii. i. 3 Heb. vi. 9. * John xii. 32. 



Come Bear. 3^9 

And it is the Lord Jesus Himself (see context) 
who says, * Come ye near unto Me, hear ye this !'^ 
No matter how far off you may be, this call of 
peace is to you who are far off.^ And if you 
hearken, then shall your peace be as a river. ' And 
if you have already come to Jesus, still He says to 
them that are nigh, ^ Now ye have consecrated 
yourselves to the Lord, cpme near,'* — nearer still, 
closer and closer to the Lord who loves you. 

There is only one way of coming near or being 
made near, but that way is open for you. Not 
into the outer court of religious profession, but 

* into the Holiest,' into the reality of most sacred 
nearness to your Lord, you may enter ' by the 
blood of Jesus. '^ The moment you claim by faith 
the power of that precious blood,^ — the moment 
you let your Great High Priest put it upon you,^ 
that moment * ye who sometimes were far off are 
made nigh by the blood of Christ.'® Then, having- 
this High Priest,^ and having this one blessed and 
unfailing means of access, ' let us draw near with a 
true heart, in full assurance of faith. '^° 

Do not be discouraged from coming near because 
you feel far off. Take that rather as your very 
claim to be included in the call, for He says, 
' Hear ye that are far off, what I have done !'" and 
take it as your very reason for coming ; come just 
because you are *a great way off,' for He says, 

* They that are far off shall come.' " 

1 Isa. xlviii. 16. 2 Isa. Ivii. 19. 3 Isa. xlviii. 18. 

* 2 Chron. xxix. 31. 5 Heb. x. 19. 6 Heb. xiii. 12. 

7 Lev. xiv. 14; Heb. ix. 13, 14. 8 Eph. ii. 13. 

3 Heb. iv. 14. 10 Rom. v. 9 ; Eph. iii. 12 ; Heb. x. 21, 22. 

*l Isa. xxxiii. 13. 12 Zech. v\. 15. 



2 JO ^be IRo^al ITnvitatlon, 

If you feel very powerless about it, plead and 
claim the promise of His enabling grace, ' I will 
cause him to draw near.'^ And then you will find 
that ' blessed is the man whom Thou choosest, and 
causest to approach unto Thee ;'^ and your experi- 
ence will be, ' It is good for me to draw near unto 
God.'^ 

He who causes you to come near will keep you 
near. Joseph did not only say to his brethren, 
^ Come near to me,'* in that moment of tenderest 
love when he made himself known to them, but his 
promise was, 'And thou shalt be near unto me. '^ 
This is your calling. Never to be far off any more ! 
Never any more distance and separation !^ Never 
any more wandering in the far country^ without 
God,® but henceforth to be 'a people near unto 
Him ! '^ ' No more strangers and foreigners, but 
fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household 
of God,'^° having found the very home of the weary 
heart, from which you shall no more go out." 

1 Jer. XXX. 21. 2 Ps. Ixv. 4. 3 Ps. Ixxiii. 28. 

4 Gen. xlv. 4. 5 Gen. xlv. lo. ^ Rom. viii. 35-39. 

V Luke XV. 13. 8 Eph. ii. 12. ^ Ps. cxlviii. 14. 

10 Eph. ii. 19. 11 Rev. iii. 12. 



XTo tbe TUttermost. 371 



TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 



Zo tbe "lattermoet* 

* But this man, because He continueth ever, hath an un- 
changeable priesthood. Wherefore He is able also to save 
them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him.' — Heb. vii. 
24, 25. 

* A ND suppose I do come, what then ? Suppose I 
-^^ do receive all this blessedness to-day, what 

about to-morrow? ' Something like this thought is 
very often in the minds of those who see the lions 
not only outside but inside the doors of the House 
Beautiful. But it is all met by that wonderful word, 

* to the uttermost. ' 

This does not only mean that the Lord Jesus is 
able to save out of the uttermost depth of need and 
misery and sin, and that He is able to save from the 
uttermost regions of distance and despair. It means 
all that, but more besides. It is not only bringing 
you up out of the horrible pit and miry clay, but 
setting your feet upon a rock, and establishing your 
goings.^ 

The word is one of those remarkable compound 
ones for which we have no equivalent. It means 
that He is able to save unto all completeness, unto 
the total perfection of saving.^ 

1 Ps. xl. 2. 2 Eccl. iii. 14 ; Isa. xlv. 17 ; Jer. xvii. 14. 



372 XLbc IRoi^al 1In\?itation. 

Suppose I were drowning, and you drew me out 
of the deepest water, just in time to save my life, 
but then left me wet and shivering and exhausted 
on the bank, to run the more than risk of wretched 
after-effects of cold and rheumatism, from which I 
might never entirely recover ! That would not be 
saving * to the uttermost ' in this sense of the word. 
But if you did the thing completely, — carrying me 
home, and doing everything necessary to restore me, 
and avert ill effects, and that effectually; never re- 
laxing in care and effort, nor letting me go, till you 
had me safe and well, however long and difficult it 
might be, then you would have saved me * to the 
uttermost,' in the true meaning of it. 

This is what Jesus is able to do for you. Your 
first coming to Him is only like letting Him grasp 
you in your terrible danger, and draw you out of 
the fatal depths. But ' because He continueth ever,'^ 
always the same loving and faithful Saviour, He will 
complete what He begins.' For we are ^confident 
of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good 
work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus 
Christ.'^ Having saved you from destruction. His 
very name* is the guarantee that He will not leave 
you to struggle helplessly with your sins, much less 
to ' continue '^ in them, but that He shall save you 
from them.^ You will find it a daily continual sal- 
vation, by which He will keep you by the power of 
God through faith,' unto the consummated salvation 
of body and soul, ' ready to be revealed in the last 
time.'^ 

1 Heb. vii. 24. 2 i Thess. v. 24. 3 Phil. i. 6. 

4 Matt. i. 21. 5 Rom. vi. i. ^ Ps. ciii. 3-5. 

7 2 Pet. i. 4. 81 Pet. i. 5. 



tTbe proof of abvieVs Bbilft^ to Save. 373 



TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 



^be proof of Cbriet'a Hbilit? to 
Save. 

' Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost 
that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make 
intercession for them.' — Heb. vii. 25. 

SEE what is the proof that the Lord Jesus Christ 
is able to save you thus, ' to the uttermost.' 
It is that He ever liveth to make intercession. For 
whom ? For them * that come unto God by Him.' 
Or, as He Himself said, in that wonderful prayer 
when He lifted the veil from His own Divine com- 
muning with the Father, and let us hear His 
mighty intercession : * Neither pray I for these 
alone, but for them also which shall believe on Me 
through their word,'^ — thus again identifying 
' coming ' with believing. Then, if you come, the 
perpetual intercession of our ascended High Priest 
will be for you, always for you.^ Only think that 
this is what Jesus is now living for, — Miveth to 
make intercession'^ for you ! Should we ever have 
dared to imagine such grace and love ? Should we 
ever have conceived that such a privilege could be 
ours? 

1 John xvii. 20. 2 Heb. iv. 14. 3 Rom. viii. 34 ; Heb. ix. 24. 



374 ^t>e l^osal trnvltation* 

Only think what security there must be in it t 
If the Lord Jesus is praying for you, can you per- 
ish ? ^ If He is praying for you, will not the 
Father's answer of blessing be beyond anything 
you would ask for yourself? Is not this enough to 
answer all your misgivings as to what you will find 
and how you will get on when you have come ? 

There is a solemn side to it. He not only says 
nothing about making intercession for those who do 
not come, but He plainly and positively says, '■ I 
pray not for the world, but for them which Thou 
hast given Me;'^ the proof of having been given 
to Christ being \\\q coining X.o Him, for 'all that the 
Father giveth Me shall come to Me.'^ Then face 
the terrible position which is yours, if you will not 
come ! Christ will 7iot pray for you ! you shut 
yourself out from the prayer of Him whom the 
Father heareth always} He prays not for all alike, 
but only for those who receive His words. He says 
' I pray for them ; I pray not for the world.' You 
dare not and cannot explain this away. It is no 
mere inference, no question of differing 'views,' 
but spoken by Him whose words can never pass 
away.^ Will you not *' come,' and share in this un- 
speakable privilege of Christ's intercession ? 

We must not overlook the fact that it is for those 
who 'come unto God by Him.' Your coming to 
Jesus is also coming to your Father. In our right 
earnestness to have clear views of the Trinity, we 
are liable to forget the Unity of the Godhead. ' I 
and My Father are one,'^ saith the Lord Jesus ; and 

1 John X. 28. 2 John xvii. 9. 3 John vi. 37. 

4 John xi. 42. 8 Luke xxi. 33. ^ John x. 30. 



XLbc IProot ot Gbdst'0 Bbllitis to Save. 375 

this blessed and glorious unity is our key to many 
an apparent difficulty. Yet there is a Divine order 
in the approach which we invert at our eternal 
peril. It must be * by Him/ or it is no coming at 
all. For He hath said, ' No man cometh unto the 
Father but by Me.'^ The redemption of Christ is 
for them ' who l^y Him do believe in God. '^ You 
cannot be made nigh to God except by the blood 
of Christ.^ You cannot reach the Father except 
through the Son, for it is through Him and in Him 
that we alone have access.* You cannot offer 
thanks, any more than prayer, to God, except in 
the same way, for it is * by Him ' that we are to 
offer it.^ In one word, you cannot be saved any 
other way at all, except by Jesus, ^ and it is no use 
talking about being simply saved by God's mercy, 
for God's own Word says, * There is none other 
name under heaven given among men whereby we 
must be saved,' ^ so that fallacy is disposed of for- 
ever. So diminish not a word;'® do not venture 
to leave out the words * by Him,' but come in 
God's own appointed way, and you shall be saved 
in His own grand and perfect way, * to the utter- 
most ! ' 



1 John xiv. 6. 2 i Pet. i. 21. 3 Eph. ii. 13, 

4 Eph. ii. i8. 5 Heb. xiii. 15. 6 Rom. v. 9, 10. 

? Acts iv. xa. 8 Deut. xii. 32. 



37^ XTbe IRoi^al fnvftatfom 



TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 



Continual ComlnQ* 

* To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed 
of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively 
stones, are built up, a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to 
offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.' 
— I Pet. ii. 4. 

* 'TpO whom coming, ' Here is the secret of 
A advance in the narrow way, after we have 
entered by the Strait Gate.^ It is not the having 
come once and to begin with, but the coming con- 
tinually to Jesus. When we have once really come 
to Him, it is not only our privilege, but our con- 
stant joy, to come to Him about everything — to go 
on drinking at the fountain. It is a beautiful para- 
dox which is realized and reconciled in the 
experience of those who come, that we may be 
continually coming afresh without ever going away, 
— always at the fountain-head, and yet always com- 
ing to it. 

As the first coming to Jesus gives us the true and 
only foundation,^ so by the very same coming, con- 
tinued with ever fresh peace and joy, we shall be 
built up in Him.* It is as we have received Christ 
Jesus the Lord that we are to walk in Him, and 

1 Matt. vii. 14. 2 I Cor, iii. 11. » Col. ii. 6, 7. 



Continual doming, 377 

then we shall be rooted and built up in Him.* 
Think what this building up implies ! Coming to 
Him, you individually, as well as all who come col- 
lectively, shall be builded together for an habitation 
of God through the Spirit,^ that Christ may dwell 
in your hearts by faith,^ that your bodies may be 
the temple of the Holy Ghost.* Coming to Him, 
you shall no longer be a loose stone, lying about and 
getting weatherworn, but you ' shall be built in the 
midsrof My people,' saith the Lord.^ 

Coming to Him, you shall also be built up as a 
holy and royal priesthood.^ For He that loved us 
and washed us from our sins in His own blood, 
hath made us kings and priests unto God.'' What 
does this priesthood involve, which the Lord has 
^ given unto you as a service of gift' ?® Does it not 
involve the very point on which you had a m-isgiv- 
ing, namely, ^ if 1 do come to-day, what about to- 
morrow?' for the priests had everything provided 
for them.^ When they were set apart to the priest's 
office, they did not need to have a thought or a care 
about their maintenance in it all the rest of their 
lives. ^° When once this * service of gift' was theirs, 
they were joined unto the high priest himself, and 
shared his privileges and his provision ; they were 
given to him, and he was given to them." This 
provision for them was ' all the best of the oil, and 
all the best of the wine, and of the wheat, and the 
first-fruits,' besides *all the best thereof of other 

1 1 Pet. ii. 5. 2 Eph. ii. 22. 3 Eph. iii. 17. 

4 I Cor. vi. 19 5 Jer. xii. 16. 6 i Pet. ii. 5, 9. 

1 Rev. i. 5, 6; ib. v. 10. 8 Num. xviii. 7. 

9 Num. xviii. 9, 14. 10 Ezek. xliv. 28-30: 2 Cor. vi. 10. 
11 Num. xviii. 2, 4. 



378 XLhc IRoisal Unvitatlon. 

things ;^ * for it is your reward for your service.' 
And the Lord says, ' I will satiate the soul of my 
priests with fatness.'^ They shall be abundantly 
'satisfied with the plenteousness of Thy house.'* 
For ' His divine power hath given unto us a// things 
that pertain unto life and godliness.'^ 

Coming to Him, you shall ' offer up spiritual 
sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.'^ 
You will offer by Him the sacrifice of praise con- 
tinually ;* and what can the angels do more ? Con- 
tinual praise mus^ be continual gladness.^ And 
when you are able to say, ' O Lord, I will praise 
Thee ; though Thou wast angry with me, Thine 
anger is turned away, and Thou comfortedst me ; 
behold, God is my salvation ;' then, and ^therefore, 
with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of 
salvation.'* 

This is what is before you, as soon as you come 
to Jesus. Thenceforth it shall be continual coming, 
and that will be continual rest, continual peace, 
continual joy.^° 



1 Num. xviii, 12. 2 Num. xviii. 29, 31. 3 Jer. xxxi. 14. 

4 Ps. xxxvi. 8, p.B.v. 5 2 Pet. i. 3. 

6 1 Pet. ii. 5 ; Rom. xii. i. 7 Heb. xiii. 15. 

8 Ps. Ixxi. 6, 14 ; ib. xxxiv. i. 9 Isa. xii. 1-3. 

/O Phil. iv. 4, 6, 7. 



f ellowsbfp an& Cleansing, 379 



TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 

fellowabip an& Cleanaing* 

* Come ye, and let us walk in the light of the Lord.*— 
IsA. ii. 5. 

IT is not only the Spirit but the Bride who says, 
' Come.'^ And it is remarkable that the Bride 
is never found saying ' Come ' without including 
herself. * Come with us ; '^ ' Come, and let us join 
ourselves unto the Lord ; '^ < Come, and let us re- 
turn unto the Lord; ** * Let us come boldly.'^ It 
is always ' us, ' expressed or implied, though the 
speaker be patriarch, prophet, or apostle. And 
you may be very sure that those who venture to 
* say. Come ' to you, are truly and deeply feeling 
the need of continual coming for themselves. If 
the Master's call were not sounding very fresh 
and sweet in their own hearts, they would not be 
constrained to sound it out to you.® 

'Come ye,' then, *and let us walk in the light of 
the Lord.'^ This is one of the blessed results and 
tests of true following, as following is of coming. 
For the Lord says, ' He that foUoweth Me shall not 

1 Rev. xxii. 17. 2 Num. x. 29. 3 Jer. 1. 5. 

* Hos. vi. 1. 5 Heb. iv. 16. 6 2 Cor. v. 14. 
' Isa. ii. 5. 



3^0 XTbe IRoi^al ITnvitatlon* 

walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life. '^ 
And the results of this walking in the light are 
fellowship and cleansing; and these, when fully 
accepted, are all that we can need for the brightest, 
happiest pilgrim course. ' If we walk in the light, 
as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with 
another ; and the blood of Jesus Christ His Son 
cleanseth us from all sin.'^ This is not merely 
fellowship with other Christians, though that, with 
all its warmth and pleasantness, is no doubt includ- 
ed.' But scholars tell us that the true meaning is 
that we and the Lord have fellowship with each 
other — a marvellous mutual interchange of sympathy, 
interest, and love. * Truly our fellowship is with 
the Father, and with His Son Jesus Christ.'* Fel- 
lowship implies a good deal more than even friend- 
ship ; the word is really * communion,' in its 
widest and yet closest sense. It is literally having 
all things in common. It is the Lord saying,.; 
* Thou art ever with Me, and all that I have is ' 
thine. '^ It is our responding, * My Beloved is 
mine, and I am His.'® It is, 'All are yours, and ye 
are Christ's, and Christ is God's. '^ It is the present 
fact, which yet we cannot fully apprehend,^ till ' at 
that day ye shall know that I am in My Father, 
and ye in Me, and I in you.'^ ' Come ye, and let 
us walk in the light of the Lord,' that this glorious 
fellowship may be ours.^° 

But there can be no fellowship without the cleans- 
ing. For how ' can two walk together, except they 

1 John viii. 12. 2 i John i. 7. 3 i John iii. 14. 

4 1 John i. 3. 5 Luke xv. 31. 6 Cant. ii. 16. 

^ I Cor. iii. 22, 23. 8 Phil. iii. 12. 9 John xiv. 20. 

10 Isa. ii. 5 ; Gen. v. 22 ; Rev. iii. 4. 



3fcllow6blp anO Cleansing, 381 

be agreed? '^ And sin is the one great obstacle to 
this agreement. God never makes peace with sin.^ 
No armistice, no truce, no compromise is possible ! 
If you would read through Jeremiah or Ezekiel with 
your eyes open to observe what God thinks of sm, 
you would be perfectly startled. It leaves the im- 
pression that no language can convey His indignant 
loathing of ' this abominable thing which I hate.'^ 
But this one precious promise shows it all in a 
mooaent. 'The blood of Jesus Christ His Son 
cleanseth us from all sin ! ' * If anything less than 
the blood of His own Son could have cleansed us, 
would He not have spared Him ?^ Nothing shows 
us the exceeding sinfulness of sin like this one 
word. 

But oh, thank God for the ' all ' ! As nothing 
less than the blood of Christ is needed for one 
single sin, so nothing more is needed for all sin.^ 
Ask the Holy Spirit to open out this one word to 
you,'' 'AU' the sin cleansed by it,^ — * all' that 
separated between you and God put away by it,^ — 
you yourself made nigh by it, and sanctified by it,^° — 
the fellowship will be unbroken, the light will be 
•anclouded, the following will be faithful," and the 
coming will be sealed.^* 



1 Amos iii. 3. 2 Ps. Ixvi. 18. 3 Jer. xliv. 4. 

* I John i. 7. 6 Rom. viii. 32. 6 Heb. ix. 22. 

7 Ps. cxix. 19. § Isa. lix. 2. 9 Eph. ii. 13. 

10 Heb. xiii. 12. n Eph. v. 8. 12 Zech. x. 12. 

25 



382 ^bc TRoigal invitation. 



THIRTIETH DAY. 



^be perpetual Covenant* 

* Come, and let us j©in ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual 
covenant that shall not be forgotten.' — Jer. 1. 5. 

THIS is no external joining of church or congre- 
gation. ' He that is joined unto the Lord is 
one spirit.'^ To this we are invited/ — to be so 
joined that nothing shall separate f to be made one 
with Christ in blessed and eternal union.* The in- 
strument, so to speak, of the joining, is our con- 
sent, in faith and obedience, to the perpetual cove- 
nant that shall not be forgotten.^ 

Herein lies the answer to all the distressing 
doubts about persevering in which we ^err, not 
knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God.'® 
For see what the terms of the new covenant are ! 
* I will put My laws into their mind, and write them 
in their hearts : and I will be to them a God, and 
they shall be to Me a people. '^ This seems all one- 
sided. It is all what God undertakes to do. Not 
a word about what we undertake to do. How 
different from any human covenant ! 

1 X Cor. vi. 17. 2 Num. xviii. 2. 3 Rom. viii. 39. 

* Eph. V. 30; John xvii. 23. 6 Jer. 1. 5. 
6 Matt. xxii. 29. 7 Heb. viii. 10. 



^be perpetual Covenant. ^8^ 

Ah, the Lord tried us with the other way, and we 
failed ; and so the old covenant of works came to 
naught.^ It was not only the children of Israel 
who * continued not '^ in God's covenant; we have 
done just the same. We have proved in our own 
experience that we cannot keep any one condition 
of it, let alone the whole ! ^ And so the Lord 
makes a new covenant, in which the marvellous 
terms are that He undertakes our part as well as 
His Qjvn, by promising to put His laws into our 
minds and write them upon our hearts, so that we 
may keep them and really obey them.'* 

And when He says He will be to us a God,^ He 
has promised in that one word more than mortal 
thought or, mortal desire can reach. And when He 
says we ska// be toHima people,^ He guarantees us 
all the safety and happiness, and all the privileges 
and blessings, in all certainty and perpetuity, which 
He promises to His people.^ He knows our total 
weakness,^ and our utter inability to persevere,^ and 
so He stoops to undertake the whole thing for us, 
if we will only ' come, and join ourselves to the 
Lord,' consenting to His perpetual covenant, and 
accepting these wonderful provisions in simple 
faith. 

But remember, there is no such thing as drifting 
into this covenant. We shall never ' happen ' to 
find ourselves included in it by waiting to see what 
\urns up, or by dint of admiringly contemplating it. 
We must 'come;* and we must join ourselves to 

1 Jer. xxxi. 32, 2 Heb. viii. 9. 3 Rom. iii. 19, 23. 

* Isa. xxxviii. 14. 5 2 Cor. vi. 16; Rev. xxi. 3. 

6 Deut. xxxiii. 29. 7 2 Cor. i. 20. 8 Ps. ciii. 14. 

9 Jude 24. 



384 ^be "Ro^al f nvftatfon. 

the Lord in it by our own voluntary act and deed.* 
Each must * subscribe with his hand unto the 
Lord.'^ This covenant requires the free individual 
signature of each participator, so that each shall be 
able to say, * Yet hath He made with me an ever- 
lasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure." 
Do you ask for some proof that you may thus come 
and share its blessedness ? — some distinct evidence 
that the covenant is meant for you ? The Lord, 
who has given all the rest, has given this too. You 
know the freeness of the call, ' Ho, every one that 
thirsteth, come ye to the waters.** That is only 
the beginning of the Invitation. It goes on, with- 
out a break, still to every one, — ' Incline your ear, 
and come unto Me ; hear, and your soul shall live ; 
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, '* 

Oh, happy day that fixed my choice 
On Thee, my Saviour and my God ! 

Well may this glowing heart rejoice, 
And tell its raptures all abroad. 

'Tis done ! the great transaction's done. 

I am my Lord's, and He is mine ; 
He drew me, and I followed on, 

Charmed to obey the Voice Divine. 

Doddridge. 



1 2 Cor. viii. 5. 2 Isa. xliv. 5. 83 Sam. xxiii. 5. 

* Isa. Iv. I. 6 Isa. Iv. 3. 



■i 

Zbc Consummation of tbc Ifnvttatfon^ ^s^i 
THIRTY-FIRST DAY. 



^be Con0ummation of tbe 
llnvttation* 

' Then shall the King say unto them on His right hand. 
Come, ye blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared 
for you from the foundation of the world.' — Matt. xxv. 34. 

' npHEN ! ' when the sure but as yet unseen hope 
A of the Church is fulfilled, and Jesus comes 
in His glory :^ ' then ! ' when all are gathered before 
Him, and * He shall separate them one from anoth- 
er:' 'f/ien shall the King say unto them on His 
right hand, Come !'* 

The King — 'this same Jesus,** who now says, 
* Come unto Me, ' * whom I shall see for myself, and 
mine eyes shall behold, and not another'* (margin, 
nof a stranger) — He shall utter with His own 
gracious lips^ the same sweet call ; and we shall hear 
it, no longer by faith, but literally. 

The call will be no longer, * Come unto Me, all 
ye that are weary and heavy laden ;'^ for the weari- 
ness and the burdens that have been cast upon Jesus 
will be at an end for ever.'^ It will be, * Come, ye 

1 Tit. ii. 13. 2 Matt. xxiv. 30, 31 ; ib. xxv. 32. 

3 Actsi. II. * Job xix. 27. 5 Luke iv. 22. 

* Matt. xi. 28. 7 Ps. Iv. 22; ib. xxxviii. 4. 



386 ^be IRo^al irnvitatfon. 

blessed !' Not * blessed ' then for the first time, but 
* ye ' whose position already is that of ' the blessed 
of the Lord. '^ Every one who comes to Jesus takes 
that glorious position, and possesses all its manifold 
privileges.^ If you are only come to-day for the 
first time, ' thou art now the blessed of the Lord,'^ 
and you shall be among the blessed ones who stand 
in their lot at the end of the days.*. You' are /low 
made kings and priests unto God by Him who loved 
you and washed you from your sins in His own 
blood f and if/ien the King will call you to * inherit 
the kingdom.' For 'by faith in Christ Jesus' 
(which is the same thing, in other words, as coming 
to Christ), you are 'the children of God.'^ 'And 
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint- 
heirs with Christ.''^ He will make you inherit the 
throne of His glory, and grant you to sit with Him 
in His throne,^ for it is your Father's good pleasure 
to give you the kingdom.^ Confess now, that this ,. 
is doing for you exceeding abundantly above all you | 
asked or thought !^° To be permitted just to escape 
the terrible doom of ' everlasting punishment, '^^ — ^ 
just to get inside the door of the palace,^^ — a sort of. ^ 
standing afar off, even in heaven, — is about as much 
as you really thought of! But look at the grandeur 
of Ifi's thought, and the riches of His love for you 1 
He has prepared not only ' a place,'" and ' a city,'^* 
but a kingdom for you, and that not since you be- 
gan to pray for salvation, but from the foundation 



1 Ps. cxv. IS. 2 Eph. i. 3- 3 Gen. xxvi. 29. 

4 Dan. xii. 12, 13. 5 Rev. i. 5, 6. 6 Gal. iii. 26. 

7 Rom. viii. 17. 8 Rev. iii. 21. 9 Luke xii. 32. 

10 Eph. iii. 20. 11 Matt. xxv. 46. 12 Ps. xlv. 15. 

13 John xiv. 2. 1* Heb. xi. 16. 



J 



Zbc Consummation of tbe Ifnvitatfon* 387 

of the world. ^ And all this time this splendid and 
amaranthine inheritance has been reserved in heaven 
for you,^ and you are being kept by the power of 
God for it !^ Have you thanked Him for this? It is 
not too soon to do so. 

This is indeed the consummation of the Royal 
Invitation, — the King on the throne of His glory 
inviting you to come and reign with Him !* 

Anji ' this same Jesus ' says to you to-day, * Him 
that cometh to Me, I will in no wise cast out.'^ 

Still shall the keyword ringing, echo the same sweet * Come !' 
* Come ' with the blessed myriads, safe in the Father's home ; 
*Come !' for the toil is over ; * come !' for the feast is spread; 
' Come !' for the crown of glory waits for the weary head. 



1 Matt. XXV. 34 ; Eph. i. 4, 2 i Pet. i. 4, Gr. 

* I Pet. i. 5. 4 Rev. v. 10. 6 John vi. 37. 



LOYAL RESPONSES 



OR 



r>AiivY m:kIvOdiks 



FOR 



Zbc lkinG'6 flDinatrela 



FIRST DAY. 



(Consecration Ibi^mn. 

* Here we offer and present unto Thee, O Lord, ourselves, 
our souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and lively sacri- 
fice unto Thee.' 

TAKE my life, and let it be 
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. 

Take my moments and my days; 
Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 

Take my hands, and let them move 
At the impulse of Thy love. 

Take my; feet, and let them be 
Swift and ' beautiful ' for Thee. 

Take my voice, and let me sing 
Always, only, for my King. 

Take my lips, and let them be 
Filled with messages from Thee. 



Take my silver and my gold ; 
Not a mite would I withhold. 



(391) 



Xo^al 1Rcspox\6C3* 

Take my intellect, and use 
Every power as Thou shalt choose. 

Take my will, and make it Thine ; 
It shall be no longer mine. 

Take my heart, it is Thine own ; 
It shall be Thy royal throne. 

Take my love ; my Lord, I pour 
At Thy feet its treasure-store. 

Take myself, and I will be 
Ever, an/y, all for Thee. 



SECOND DAY. 



Set apart* 

♦ Know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for 
Himself,' — Ps. iv. 3. 

I. 

SET apart for Jesus ! 
Is not this enough, 
Though the desert prospect 
Open wild and rough ? 
Set apart for His delight, 

Chosen for His holy pleasure. 
Sealed to be His special treasure ! 
Could we choose a nobler joy ? — and would we if 
we might ? 



Set Bpart. 593 

II. 

Set apart to serve Him ! 

Ministers of light, 
Standing in His presence, 
Ready day or night ! 
Chosen for the service blest, 

He would have us always willing, 
Like the angel host fulfilling 
Swiftly and rejoicingly each recognized behest. 

III. 

Set apart to praise Him, 

Set apart for this ! 
Have the blessed angels 
Any truer bliss ? 
Soft the prelude, though so clear : 
Isolated tones are trembling ; 
But the chosen choir, assembling, 
Soon shall sing together, while the universe shall 
hear. 

IV. 

Set apart to love Him, 

And His love to know ! 
Not to waste affection 
On a passing show. 
Called to give Him life and heart. 

Called to pour the hidden treasure. 
That none other claims to measure, 
Into His beloved hand ! thrice blessed * set apart I * 



394 Xo^al TResponses* 

V. 

Set apart for ever 

For Himself alone ! 
Now we see our calling, 
Gloriously shown. 
Owning, with no secret dread, 
This our holy separation, 
Now the crown of consecration 
Of the Lord our God shall rest upon our willing 
head l^ 



THIRD DAY. 



^be Secret of a Ibappi? ®a?* 

* The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him.'- 
Ps. XXV. 14. 



J 



UST to let thy Father do 

What He will ; 4 

Just to know that He is true. 

And be still. 
Just to follow hour by hour 

As He leadeth; 
Just to draw the moment's power 

As it needeth. 

1 Num. vi. 7. 



^be Secret ot a 1bapp^ H)ai2. 395 

Just to trust Him, this is all ! 

Then the day will surely be 
Peaceful, whatsoe'er befall, 

Bright and blessed, calm and free. 

II. 

Just to let Him speak to thee 

Through His Word, 
Watching, that His voice may be 

Clearly heard. 
Just to tell Him everything 

As it rises, 
And at once to Him to bring 

All surprises. 
Just to listen, and to stay 

Where you cannot miss His voice. 
This is all ! and thus to-day, 
Communing, you shall rejoice. 

III. 

Just to ask Him what to do 

All the day. 
And to make you quick and true 

To obey. 
Just to know the needed grace 

He bestoweth. 
Every bar of time and place 
Overfloweth. 
Just to take thy orders straight 

From the Master's own command. 
Blessed day ! when thus we wait 
Always at our Sovereign's hand. 



39^ Xoisal TResponses. 

IV. , 

Just to recollect His love, 

Always true ; 
Always shining from above, 

Always new. 
Just to recognize its light, 

All-enfolding ; 
Just to claim its present might, 

All-upholding. 
Just to know it as thine own, 

That no power can take away. 
Is not this enough alone 
For the gladness of the day ? 

V. 

Just to trust, and yet to ask 

Guidance still ; 
Take the training or the task. 

As He will. 
Just to take the loss or gain, 
As He sends it ; 
^ Just to take the joy or pain. 

As He lends it. 
He who formed thee for His praise 
Will not miss the gracious aim ; 
So to-day and all thy days 

Shall be moulded for the same. 

VI. 

Just to leave in His dear hand 

Little things, 
All we cannot understand, 

All that stings. 



I 



^be Tantaiiing ©ne* 39.7 

Just to let Him take the care 

Sorely pressing, 
Finding all we let Him bear 
Changed to blessing. 
This is all ! and yet the way 

Marked by Him who loves thee best ; 
Secret of a happy day, 

Secret of His promised rest. 



FOURTH DAY. 



^be TUnfading ®ne. 

* He faileth not,' — Zeph. iii. 5. 
I. 

HE who hath led, will lead 
All through the wilderness ; 
He who hath fed, will feed ; 

He who hath blessed, will bless • 
He who hath heard thy cry, 
Will never close His ear ; 
He who hath marked thy faintest sigh. 
Will not forget thy tear. 
He loveth always, faileth never ; 
So rest on Him, to-day, for ever ! 

n. 

He who hath made thee whole 
Will heal thee day by day ; 

He who hath spoken to thy soul 
Hath many things to say. 
26 



39^ 3Lo^al IResponses. 

He who hath gently taught 

Yet- more will make thee know ; 
He who so wondrously hath wrought 
Yet greater things will show. 
He loveth always, faileth never ; 
So rest on Him, to-day, for ever I 

III. 

He who hath made thee nigh 

Will draw thee nearer still ; 
He who hath given the first supply 

Will satisfy and fill. 
He who hath given thee grace 

Yet more and more will send ; 
He who hath set thee in the race 

Will speed thee to the end. 
He loveth always, faileth never ; 
So rest on Him, to-day, for ever ! 

ly. 

He who hath won thy heart 
Will keep it true and free ; 
He who hath shown thee what thou art 

Will show Himself to thee. 
He who hath bid thee live, 

And made thy life His own, 
Life more abundantly will give, 
And keep it His alone ; 
He loveth always, faileth never ; 
So rest on Him, to-day, for ever ! 



©n tbe Xor^'s SiOe. 399 

V. 

Then trust Him for to-day 

As thine unfailing Friend, 
And let Him lead thee all the way, 

Who loveth to the end. 
And let the morrow rest 

In His beloved hand ; 
His good is better than our best, 

As we shall understand, — 
If, trusting Him who faileth never, 
We rest on Him, to-day, for ever ! 



FIFTH DAY. 



®n tbe Xorb'6 Si&e^ 

* Thine are we, David, and on thy side, thou son of Jesse.*- 
I Chron. xii. 18. 

I. 

WHO is on the Lord's side ? 
Who will serve the King ? 
Who will be His helpers, 

Other lives to bring ? 
Who will leave the world's side ? 

Who will face the foe ? 

Who is on the Lord's side? 

Who for Him will go ? 



400 Xo^al IResponscs* 

Response. By Thy call of mercy. 
By Thy grace divine, 
We are on the Lord's side; 

Saviour, we are Thine. j 

i 

II. 

Not for weight of glory, 

Not for crown and palm, 
Enter we the army, 

Raise the warrior-psalm ; 
But for Love that claimeth 

Lives for whom He died : 
He whom Jesus nameth 
Must be on His side. 
Response. By Thy love constraining, 
By Thy grace divine. 
We are on the Lord's side; 
Saviour, we are Thine. 

in. 

Jesus, Thou hast bought us. 

Not with gold or gem, 
But with Thine own life-blood, 

For Thy diadem. 
With Thy blessing filling 

Each who comes to Thee, 
Thou hast made us willing. 
Thou hast made us free. 
Response. By Thy grand redemption, 
By Thy grace divine. 
We are on the Lord's side ; 
Saviour, we are Thine. 



®n tbe XorD'5 Si^e. 4oi 

IV. 

Fierce may be the conflict, 
Strong may be the foe, 
But the King's own army 

None can overthrow. 
Round His standard ranging, 

Victory is secure, 
For His truth unchanging 
Makes the triumph sure. 
Response. Joyfully enlisting 

By thy grace divine. 
We are on the Lord's side ; 
Saviour, we are Thine. 

V. 

Chosen to be soldiers 

In an alien land ; 
' Chosen, called, and faithful,* 

For our Captain's band ; 
In the service royal 

Let us not grow cold ; 
Let us be right loyal, 

Noble, true, and bold. 
Response. Master, Thou wilt keep us. 
By Thy grace divine. 
Always on the Lord's side. 
Saviour, always Thine. 



402 Xoigal IResponses. 

SIXTH DAY. 



^True^^bearteD, MboIe^bearteJ). 



TRUE-HEARTED, whole-hearted, faithful and 
loyal. 
King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be ! 
Under Thy standard, exalted and royal. 

Strong in Thy strength, we will battle for Thee ! 

11. 

True-hearted, whole-hearted ! Fullest allegiance 
Yielding henceforth to our glorious King ; 

Valiant endeavour and loving obedience 
Freely and joyously now would we bring. 

III. 

True-hearted ! Saviour, Thou knowest our story ; 

Weak are the hearts that we lay at Thy feet. 
Sinful and treacherous ! yet, for Thy glory. 

Heal them, and cleanse them from sin and deceit. 

IV- ^ I 

Whole-hearted ! Saviour, beloved and glorious, 

Take Thy great power, and reign Thou alone, 
Over our wills and aifections victorious. 

Freely surrendered, and wholly Thine own. 



tlruesbcarteD, TKHbolesbeattc^, 403 

V. 

Ha/f-hesLited, /a/se-hesirted ! Heed we the warning ! 

Only the whole can be perfectly true ; 
Bring the whole offering, all timid thought scorning, 

True-hearted only if whole-hearted too. 

VI. 

Half-hearted ! Saviour, shall aught be withholden, 
Gliding Thee part who hast given us all ? 

Blessings outpouring, and promises golden 
Pledging, with never reserve or recall. 

vn. 

Half-hearted ! Master, shall any who know Thee 
Grudge Thee their lives, who hast laid down 
Thine own ? 
Nay; we would offer the hearts that we owe 
Thee, — 
Live for Thy love and Thy glory alone. 

VIII. 

Sisters, dear sisters, the call is resounding, 

Will ye not echo the silver refrain, 
Mighty and sweet, and in gladness abounding, — 

* True-hearted, whole-hearted ! ' ringing again? 

IX. 

Jesus is with us, His rest is before us, 
Brightly His standard is waving above. 

Brothers, dear brothers, in gathering chorus. 
Peal out the watchword of courage and love ! 



404 Xoi^al TRcsponses, 



X. 



Peal out the watchword, and silence it never, 
Song of our spirits, rejoicing and free ! 

' True-hearted, whole-hearted, now and for ever, 
King of our lives, by Thy grace we will be ! ' 



SEVENTH DAY. 



'3B? tTb? CV08S mil passion.' 

* He hath given us rest by His sorrow, and life by His death.' 
— John Bunyan. 

I. 

WHAT hast Thou done for me, O mighty Friend, 
Who lovest to the end ! 
Reveal Thyself, that I may now behold ! 

Thy love unknown, untold. 
Bearing the curse, and made a curse for me. 
That blessed and made a blessing I might be. 

II. 

Oh, Thou wast crowned with thorns, that I might 
wear 

A crown of glory fair ; 
'Exceeding sorrowful,' that I might be 

Exceeding glad in Thee ; 
' Rejected and despised,' that I might stand 
Accepted and complete on Thy right hand. 



*3Bi3 Zb^ Cross anO passion/ 405 

III. 

Wounded for my transgression, stricken sore, 
That I might ' sin no more ; ' 

Weak, that I might be always strong in Thee ; 
Bound, that I might be free ; 

Acquaint with grief, that I might only know 

Fulness of joy in everlasting flow. 

IV. 

Thine was the chastisement, with no release, 
That mine might be the peace ; 

The bruising and the cruel stripes were Thine, 
That healing might be mine ; 

Thine was the sentence and the condemnation. 

Mine the acquittal and the full salvation. 

V. 

For Thee revilings, and a mocking throng, 

For me the angel-song ; 
For Thee the frown, the hiding of God's face. 

For me His smile of grace ; 
Sorrows of hell and bitterest death for Thee, 
And heaven and everlasting life for me. 

VI. 

Thy cross and passion, and Thy precious death, 

While I have mortal breath. 
Shall be my spring of love and work and praise. 

The life of all my days ; 
Till all this mystery of love supreme 
Be solved in glory — glory's endless theme ! 



4o6 Xo^al 1Respon0C0. 

EIGHTH DAY. 



Zbc ©peneb 3fountain* 

* A fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness. 
Wounded in the house of My friends,' — Zech. xiii. i, 6. 



AND I have wounded Thee — oh, wounded 
Thee !— 
Wounded the dear, dear Hand that holds me 
fast ! 
Oh, to recall the word ! That cannot be ! 

Oh, to unthink the thought that out of reach 
hath passed ! 

II. 

Sorrow and bitter grief replace my bliss ; 

I could not wish that any joy should be ; 
There is no room for any thought but this, 
. That I have sinned — have sinned — have wounded 
Thee ! 

HI. 

How cou/d I grieve Thee so ! Thou couldst have 
kept ; 

My fall was not the failure of Thy word. 
Thy promise hath no flaw, no dire * except,' 

To neutralize the grace so royally conferred. 



Zbc ©pcneD jTountaln. 407 

IV. 

Oh, the exceeding sinfulness of sin ! 

Tenfold exceeding in the love-lit light 
Of Thy sufficient grace, without, within, 

Enough for every need, in never-conquered 
might! 

V. 

With all the shame, with all the keen distress, 
Quick, 'waiting not,' I flee to Thee again; 

Close to the wound, beloved Lord, I press, 

That Thine own precious blood may overflow the 
stain. 

VI. 

O precious blood ! Lord, let it rest on me ! 

I ask not only pardon from my King, 
But cleansing from my Priest. I come to Thee 

Just as I came at first, — a sinful, helpless thing. 

VII. 

Oh, cleanse me now ! My Lord, I cannot stay 
For evening shadows and a silent hour :^ 

Now I have sinned, and now^ with no delay, 
I claim Thy promise and its total power. 

VIII. 

O Saviour, bid me ' go and sin no more,' 
And keep me always 'neath the mighty flow 

Of Thy perpetual fountain ; I implore 

That Thy perpetual cleansing I may fully know. 



4o8 xoisac TKcsponsea. 

NINTH DAY. 



Zbc preciou0 Bloob of 3cme< 

I. 

PRECIOUS, precious blood of Jesus, 
Shed on Calvary ; 
Shed for rebels, shed for sinners, 
Shed for me. 

II. 

Precious blood, that hath redeemed us ! 

All the price is paid ; 
Perfect pardon now is offered, 

Peace is made. 

III. 

Precious, precious blood of Jesus, 

Let it make thee whole ; 
Let it flow in mighty cleansing 

O'er thy soul. 

IV. 

Though thy sins are red like crimson. 

Deep in scarlet glow, 
Jesus' precious blood can make them 

White as snow. 



TTbe precious JSlooD of 5e5U6. 409 
V. 

Now the holiest with boldness 

We may enter in, 
For the open fountain cleanseth 

From all sin. 

VI. 

•Precious blood ! by this we conquer 

In the fiercest fight, 
Sin and Satan overcoming 

By its might. 

VII. 

Precious, precious blood of Jesus, 

Ever flowing free ! 
O believe it, O receive it, 

*Tis for thee.! 

VIII. 

Precious blood, whose full atonement 

Makes us nigh to God ! 
Precious blood, our song of glory, 

Praise and laud ! 



41 o Xoi^al TResponses* 

TENTH DAY. 



II IRemember ^bee* 

' Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindness of thy 
youth, the love of thine espousals.' — Jer. ii, 2. 

I. 

MY Lord, dost Thou indeed remember me. 
Just me, the least and last ? 
With all the names of Thy redeemed, 
And all Thy angels, has it seemed 
As though my name might perhaps be overpassed ; 
Yet here I find Thy word of tenderest grace, 
True for this moment, perfect for my case, — 
' Thus saith Jehovah, I remember thee ! ' 

II. • 
My Lord, dost Thou remember this of me, 
The kindness of my youth ? — 
The tremulous gleams of early days, 
The first faint thrills of love and praise, 
Vibrating fitfully? Not much, in truth. 
Can I bring back at memory's wondering call ; 
Yet Thou, my faithful Lord, rememberest all, — 
* Thus saith Jehovah, I remember thee ! * 

IIL 
My Lord, dost Thou remember this of me. 
My love, so poor, so cold ? 
Oh, if I had but loved Thee more ! 
Yet Thou hast pardoned. Let me pour 



TT TRememDer T^cc* 4" 

My life's best wine for Thee, my heart's best gold 
(Worthless, yet all I have), for very shame 
That Thou should' st tell me, calling me by 
name, — 

* Thus saith. Jehovah, I remember thee ! ' 

IV. 

My Lord, dost Thou remember this of me, 
* The day of Thine own power ? 

The love of 7m'ne espousals sweet, 

The laying wholly at thy feet 
Of heart and life, in that glad, willing hour? 
That love was Thine — I gave Thee but Thine own, 
And yet the Voice falls from the emerald throne, — 

* Thus saith Jehovah, I remember thee ! ' 

V. 

My Lord, dost Thou remember ^Ms of me ? 
Forgetting every fall. 

Forgetting all the treacherous days. 

Forgetting all the wandering ways. 
With fulness of forgiveness covering all ; 
Casting these memories, a hideous store. 
Into the crimson sea, for evermore, 
And only saying, * I remember thee ! ' 

VI. 

My Lord, art Thou indeed remembering me ? 
Then let me not forget ! 
Oh, be Thy kindness all the way, 
Thy everlasting love to-day. 



412 Xo^al TResponses. 

In sweet perpetual remembrance set 
Before my view, to fill my marvelling gaze, 
A.nd stir my love, and lift my life to praise. 
Because Thou sayest, ' I remember thee ! * 



ELEVENTH DAY. 



Iknowing* 

I. 

I KNOW the crimson stain of sin. 
Defiling all without, within ; 
But now rejoicingly I know 
That He has washed me white as snow. 
I praise Him for the cleansing tide, 
Because I know that Jesus died. 

n. 

I know the helpless, hopeless plaint, 

' The whole head sick, the whole heart faint | * 

But now I trust His touch of grace, 

That meets so perfectly my case, 

So tenderly, so truly deals ; 

Because I know that Jesus heals. 

III. 

I know the pang of forfeit breath, 
When life in sin was life in deaths 



IRnovving. 413 

But now I know His life is mine, 
And nothing shall that cord untwine, 
Rejoicing in the life He gives, 
Because I know that Jesus lives. 

IV. 

I know how anxious thought can press, 
I know the weight of carefulness ; 
But now I know the sweet reward 
Of casting all upon my Lord, 
No longer bearing what He bears, 
Because I know that Jesus cares. 

V. 

I know the sorrow that is known 

To the tear-burdened heart alone ; 

But now I know its full relief 

Through Him who was acquaint with grief. 

And peace through every trial flows, 

Because I knov/ that Jesus knows. 

VI. 

I know the gloom amid the mirth, 
The longing for the love of earth ; 
But now I know the Love that fills, 
That gladdens, blesses, crowns and stills. 
That nothing mars and nothing moves, — 
I know, I know that Jesus loves ! 

VII. 

I know the shrinking and the fear, 
When all seems wrong, and nothing clear ; 
27 



414 Xo^al IReeponses* 

But now I gaze upon His throne, 
And faith sees all His foes o'erthrown, 
And I can wait till He explains, 
Because I know that Jesus reigns. 



TWELFTH DAY. 



^ruetluQ 3e9U0» I 



I. 



I AM trusting Thee, Lard Jesus, 
Trusting only Thee ; 
Trusting Thee for full salvation, 
Great and free. 

II. 

I am trusting Thee for pardon ; 

At Thy feet I bow, 
For Thy grace and tender mercy, 
Trusting now. 

III. 

I am trusting Thee for cleansing 

In the crimson flood ; 
Trusting Thee to make me holy 
By Thy blood. 



XooWng unto 3^e6us. 41 S 

IV. 

I am trusting Thee to guide me ; 

Thou alone shalt lead ! 
Every day and hour supplying 
All my need. 

V. 

I am trusting Thee for power ; 

.Thine can never fail ! 
Words which Thou Thyself shalt give me> 
Must prevail. 

VI. 

9 

I am trusting Thee, Lord Jesus ; 

Never let me fall ! 
I am trusting Thee for ever, 
And for all. 



THIRTEENTH DAY. 



Xoofting unto 3e0U0* 

I. 

LOOKING unto Jesus ! 
Battle-shout of faith, 
Shield o'er all the armour, 
Free from scar or scathe. 



4i6 Xo^al IResponses* 

Standard of salvation, 
In our hearts unfurled. 

Let its elevation 

Overcome the -world ! 

II. 

Look a^vs-ay to Jesus ! 

Look away from all ; 
Then we need not stumble, 

Then we shall not fall. 
From each snare that lureth 

Foe or phantom grim, 
Safetv this ensureth : 

Look aw9.y to Him. 

III. 

Looking into Jesus ! 

Wonderingly we trace 
Heights of power and glory, 

Depths of love and grace. 
Vistas far unfolding, 

Ever stretch before, 
As we gaze, beholding 

Ever more and more. 

IV. 

Looking up to Jesus 

On the emerald throne ! 
Faith shall pierce the heavens 

Where our King is gone. 
Lord, on Thee depending, 

Now, continually, 
Heart and mind ascending. 

Let us dwell with Thee. 



Sbining, 413 

FOURTEENTH DAY. 



SbiniriQ* 



ARE you shining for Jesus, dear one ? 
You have given your heart to Him ; 
But is the Hght strong within it, 

Or is it but pale and dim ? 
Can everybody see it, — 

That Jesus is all to you ? 
That your love to Him is burning 

With radiance warm and true ? 
Is the seal upon your forehead, 

So that it must be known 
That you are * all for Jesus,' — 

That your heart is all His own ? 



IL 



Are you shining for Jesus, dear one ? 

You remember the first sweet ray, 
When the sun arose upon you 

And brought the gladsome day ; 
When you heard the gospel message. 

And Jesus Himself drew near. 
And helped you to trust Him simply, 

And took away your fear : 



41 8 Xoisal IReeponees, 

When the darkness and the shadows 

Fled like a weary night, 
And you felt that you could praise Him, 

And everything seemed bright. 

III. 

Are you shining for Jesus, dear one 

So that the holy light 
May enter the hearts of others, 

And make them glad and bright «* 
Have you spoken a word for Jesus, 

And told to some arouno. 
Who do not care about Him^ 

What a Saviour yott Pave fc'jnd ? 
Have you lifted the i.rmp for others, 

That has guided youf own glad feet ? 
Have you echoed '.ne loving message. 

That seemed to yo\\ so sweet ? 

IV. 

Are you shinir.p for Jesus, dear one,— 

Shining for W im all day, 
Letting xh'c light burn always 

Along the varied way ? 
Always,— when those beside you 

Are walking in the dark ? 
Always, — when no one is helping. 

Or heeding your tiny spark? 
Not idly letting it flicker 

In every passing breeze 
Of pleasure or temptation, 

Of trouble or r,i ease ? 



Sblning. 419 

V. 

Are you shining for Jesus, dear one,— • 

Shining just everywhere, 
Not only in easy places. 

Not only just here or there? 
Shining in happy gatherings. 

Where all are loved and known ? 
Shining where all are strangers ? 
, Shining when quite alone ? 
Shining at home, and making 

True sunshine all around ? 
Shining abroad, and faithful — 

Perhaps among faithless — found? 

VI. 

Are you shining for y^esus, dear one, 

Not for yourself at all ? 
Not because dear ones, watching, 

Would grieve if your lamp should fall ? 
Shining because you are walking 

In the Sun's unclouded rays. 
And you canndt help reflecting 

The light on which you gaze ? 
■ Shining because it shineth 

So warm and bright above. 
That you must let out the gladness, 

And you must show forth the love ? 

VII. 

Are you shining for Jesus, dear one? 
Or is there a little sigh 



420 Xo^al IResponees. 

That the lamp His love had lighted 

Does not burn clear and high ? 
Is the heavenly crown that waits you. 

Still, still without a star, 
Because your light was hidden, 

And sent no rays afar ? 
Do you feel you have not loved Him 

With a love right brave and loyal, 
But have faintly fought and followed 

His banner bright and royal ? 

vni. 

Oh, come again to Jesus ! 

Come as you came at first, 
And tell Him all that hinders, 

And tell Him all the worst ; 
And take His sweet forgiveness 

As you took it once before, 
And hear His kind voice saying, 

* Peace ! go, and sin no more !* 
Then ask for grace and courage 

His name to glorify, , 
That never more His precious light 

Your dimness may deny. 

IX. 

Then rise, and, * watching daily,' 
Ask Him your lamp to trim 

With the fresh oil He giveth, 
That it may not burn dim. 

Yes, rise and shine for Jesus ! 
Be brave, and bright, and true 



(BrowiuQ. 421 



To the true and loving Saviour, 
Who gave Himself for you. 

Oh, shine for Jesus, dear one. 
And henceforth be your way 

Bright with the light that shineth 
Unto the perfect day ! 



FIFTEENTH DAY. 



I. 

UNTO him that hath, Thou givest 
Ever *more abundantly,' 
Lord, I live because Thou livest. 

Therefore give more life to me ; 
Therefore speed me in the race ; 
Therefore let me grow in grace. 

II. . 

Deepen all Thy work, O Master, 
Strengthen every downward root. 

Only do Thou ripen faster. 

More and more, Thy pleasant fruit. 

Purge me, prune me, self abase, 

Only let me grow in grace. 

III. 

Jesus, grace for grace outpouring, 
Show me ever greater things ; 



422 Xo^al IRcsponscs. 

Raise me higher, sunward soaring, 

Mounting as on eagle -wings. 
By the brightness of Thy face, 
Jesus, let me grow in grace. 

IV. 

Let me grow by sun and shower, 

Every moment water me ; 
Make me really hour by hour 

More and more conformed to Thee, 
That Thy loving eye may trace. 
Day by day, my growth in grace. 

V. 

Let me then be always growing. 

Never, never standing still ; ^ 

Listening, learning, better knowing 
Thee and Thy most blessed will. 

Till I reach Thy holy place. 

Daily let me grow in grace. 



IRcatins* 423 



SIXTEENTH DAY. 



1Re0ting* 

* This is the rest wherewith ye may cause the weary to rest ; 
and this is the refreshing.' — ISA. xxviii. 12. 

I. 

RESTING on the faithfulness of Christ our 
Lord; 
Resting on the fulness of His own sure word ; 
Resting on His power, on His love untold ; 
Resting on His covenant secured of old. 

II. 

Resting 'neath His guiding hand for untracked 

days; 
Resting 'neath His shadow from the noontide rays ; 
Resting at the eventide beneath His wing ; 
In the fair pavilion of our Saviour King. 

III. 

Resting in the fortress while the foe is nigh ; 
Resting in the lifeboat while the waves roll high ; 
Resting in His chariot for the swift, glad race ; 
Resting, always resting in His boundless grace. 



424 Xoi^al IRcsponsea. 

IV. 

Resting in the pastures, and beneath the Rock ; 
Resting by the waters where He leads His flock ; 
Resting, whjle we listen, at His glorious feet ; 
Resting in His very arms ! — O rest complete ! 

V. 

Resting and believing, let us onward press ; 
Resting in Himself, the Lord our Righteousness ; 
Resting and rejoicing, let His saved ones sing, 
Glory, glory, glory be to Christ our King ! 



SEVENTEENTH DAY. 



filling. 

* Filled \^^th all the fulness of God.' — Eph. ill. 19. 

I. 

HOLY Father, Thou hast spoken 
Words beyond our grasp of thought,- 
Words of grace and power unbroken, 
With mysterious glory fraught. 



jfilUng. 425 

n. 

Promise and command combining, 
Doubt to chase and faith to lift ; 

Self renouncing, all resigning, 
We would claim this mighty gift. 

III. 

Take us, Lord, oh, take us truly, 
Mind and soul and heart and will ; 

Empty us and cleanse us throughly, 
Then with all thy fulness fill. 

. IV. 

Lord, we ask it, hardly knowing 
What this wondrous gift may be. 

But fulfil to overflowing, — 
Thy great meaning let us see. 



Make us in Thy royal palace 
Vessels worthy for the King ; 

From Thy fulness fill our chalice. 
From Thy never- failing spring. 

VI. 

Father, by this blessed filling, 
Dwell Thyself in us, we pray j 

We are waiting, Thou art willing. 
Fill us with Thyself to-day ! 



42 6 Xosal 1Rcsponse6» 



EIGHTEENTH DAY. 



Uncreaae our ffaitb* 

' Lord, increase our faith.' — Luke xvii. 5. 
I. 

INCREASE our faith, beloved Lord ! 
For Thou alone canst give 
The faith that takes Thee at Thy word, 
The faith by which we live. 

II. 

Increase our faith ! So weak are we, 

That we both may and must 
Commit our very faith to Thee, 

Entrust to Thee our trust. 

III. 

Increase our faith ! for there is yet 

Much land to be possessed ; 
And by no other strength we get 

Our heritage of rest. 

IV. 

Increase our faith \ On this broad shield 
* Al/^ fiery darts be caught j 



•ffncrcase our 3fa(tb. 427 

We must be victors in the field 
Where Thou for us hast fought. 

V. 

Increase our faith, that we may claim 

Each starry promise sure, 
And always triumph in Thy name, 

And to the end endure. 

VL 

Increase our faith, O Lord, we pray, 

That we may not depart 
From Thy commands, but all obey 

With free and loyal heart. 

VII. 

Increase our faith — increase it still — 

From heavenward hour to hour 
And in us gloriously * fulfil 

The work of faith with power.* 

VIII. 

Increase our faith, that never dim 

Or trembling it may be. 
Crowned with the ' perfect peace' of him 

* Whose mind is stayed on Thee.' 

IX. 

Increase our faith, for Thou hast prayed 

That it should never fail ; 
Our steadfast anchorage is made 

With Thee, within the veil. 



428 Xoi^al IRcsponscB. 

X. 

Increase our faith, that unto Thee 
More fruit may still abound ; 

That it may grow ' exceedingly,' 
And to Thy praise be found. 

XL 

Increase our faith, O Saviour dear, 
By Thy sweet sovereign grace, 

Till, changing faith for vision clear, 
We see Thee face to face ! 



NINETEENTH DAY. 



^mobobi? 1know0 but 3e6U0. 

I. 

* TVrOBODY knows but Jesus!' , 
IN 'Tis only the old refrain 
Of a quaint, pathetic slave-song, 
But it comes again and again. 

XL 

I only heard it quoted. 

And I do not know the rest ; 

But the music of the message 
Was wonderfully blessed. 



♦uaoboC)^ Iknows but Jesus/ 429 

III. 

For it fell upon my spirit 

Like sweetest twilight psalm, 
When the breezy sunset waters 

Die into starry calm. 

IV. 

^Nobody knows but Jesus !' 

Is it not better so, 
That no one else but Jesus, 

My own dear Lord, should know? 

V. 

When the sorrow is a secret 

Between my Lord and me, 
I learn the fuller measure 

Of His quick sympathy. 

VI. 

Whether it be so heavy, 

That dear ones could not bear 
To know the bitter burden 

They could not come and share ; 

VII. 

Whether it be so tiny. 

That others could not see 
Why it should be a trouble. 

And seem so real to me ; 
28 



43° Xoigal IResponses. 

VIII. 

Either, and both, I lay them 
Down at my Master's feet, 

And find them,- alone with Jesus, 
Mysteriously sweet. 

IX. 

Sweet, for they bring me closer 
To the dearest, truest Friend ; 
, Sweet, for He comes the nearer. 
As 'neath the cross I bend ; 

X. 

Sweet, for they are the channels 
Through which His teachings flow ; 

Sweet, for by these dark secrets 
His heart of love I know. 

XI. 

* Nobody knows but Jesus ! ' 

It is music for to-day. 
And through the darkest hours 

It will chime along the way. 

XII. 

' Nobody knows but Jesus ! ' 
My Lord, I bless Thee now 

For the sacred gift of sorrow 
That no one knows but Thou. 



Ibe (6 tTbs %itc. 431 



TWENTIETH DAY. 



Ibe 10 ^bi? Xife* 

I. 

JESUS, Thy life is mine ! 
Dwell evermore in me ; 
And let me see 
That nothing can untwine 
My life from Thine. 

11. 

Thy life in me be shown ! 
Lord, I would henceforth seek 

To think and speak 
Thy thoughts, Thy words alone, 

No more my own. 

III. 

Thy love. Thy joy, Thy peace, 
Continuously impart 

Unto my heart 
Fresh springs, that never cease 

But still increase. 



432 Xo^al TResponses* 

IV. 

The blest reality 

Of resurrection power, 

Thy Church's dower. 
Life more abundantly, 

Lord, give to me ! 

V. 

Thy fullest gift, O Lord, 
Now at Thy feet I claim, 

Through Thy dear name i 
And touch the rapturous chord 

Of praise forth poured. 

VI. 

Jesus, my life is Thine, 
And evermore shall be 

Hidden in Thee ! 
For nothing can untwine 

Thy life from mine. 



TWENTY-FIRST DAY. 



jEnougb^ 

L 

I AM so weak, dear Lord, I cannot stand 
One moment without Thee ! 
But oh ! the tenderness of Thine enfolding. 



J6nou0b. 433 

And oh ! the faithfulness of Thine upholding, 
And oh ! the strength of Thy right hand ! 
That strength is enough for me ! 

11. 

I am so needy, Lord, and yet I know 

All fulness dwells in Thee ; 
And hour by hour that never-failing treasure 
Supplies and fills, in overflowing measure, 
My least, my greatest need ; and so 
Thy grace is enough for me ! 

III. 

It is so sweet to trust Thy word alone : 

I do not ask to see 
The unveiling of Thy purpose, or the shining 
Of future light on mysteries untwining : 
Thy promise-roll is all my own, — 

Thy word is enough for me ! 

IV. 

The human heart asks love ; but now I know 

That my heart hath from Thee 
All real, and full, and marvellous affection, 
So near, so human ; yet divine perfection 
Thrills gloriously the mighty glow ! 

Thy love is enough for me ! 

V. 

There were strange soul-depths, restless, vast, and 
broad, 
Un fathomed as the sea ; 



434 Xo^al TResponscs, 

An infinite craving for some infinite stilling; 
But now Thy perfect love is perfect filling ! 
Lord Jesus Christ, my Lord, my God, 
Thou, Thou art enough for me ! 



TWENTY-SECOND DAY, 



mi 

I. 



GOD'S reiterated 'all!' 
O wondrous word of peace and power ! 
Touching with its tuneful fall 
The rising of each hidden hour, 

All the day. 

11. 

Only a// His word believe, 

A// peace and joy your heart shall fill. 
All things asked ye shall receive : 

This is thy Father's word and will, 

For to-day. 

III. 

*" A// 1 have is thine,' saith He. 

' A// things are yours,' He saith again ; 



©nils, 435 

All the promises for thee 

Are sealed with Jesus Christ's Amen, 

For to-day, 

IV. 

He shall all your need supply, 

And He will make all grace abound ; 
^/ways ^//sufficiency 
" In Him for all things shall be found, 

For to-day, 

V. 

All His work He shall fulfil, 

All the good pleasure of His will, 
Keeping thee in all thy ways, 

And with thee always, ' all the days,' 

And to-day I 



TWENTY-THIRD DAY. 



I. 



ONLY a mortal's powers. 
Weak at their fullest strength ; 
Only a few swift-flashing hours. 
Short at their fullest length. 



43^ Xoisal TResponses^ 

II. 

Only a page for the eye, 
Only a word for the ear, 

Only a smile, and by and by 
Only a quiet tear. 

III. 

Only one heart to give, 
Only one voice to use ; 

Only one little life to live, 
And only one to lose. 

IV. 

Poor is my best and small : 
How could I dare divide ? 

Surely my Lord shall have it all, 
He shall not be denied ! 



V. 



All ! for far more I owe 
Than all I have to bring ; 

All ! for my Saviour loves me so t 
All ! for I love my King ! 

VI. 

All ! for it is His own, 
He gave the tiny store ; 

All ! for it must be His alone ; 
All ! for I have no more. 



ISs^ faster. 437 

VII. 

All ! for the last and least 

He stoopeth to uplift : 
The altar of my great High Priest 

Shall sanctify my gift. 



TWENTY-FOURTH DAY. 



!Vi^ flDaater. 

* I love my master ; . . . I will not go out free. 
And he shall serve him for ever.' — Ex. xxi. 5, 6. 

I. 

I LOVE, I love my Master, 
I will not go out free, 
For He is my Redeemer, 
He paid the price for me. 

II. 

I would not leave His service, 

It is so sweet and blest ; 
And in the weariest moments 

He gives the truest rest. 

III. 

I would not halve my service. 

His only it must be, — 
His onfyf who so loved me 

And gave Himself for me. 



43^ Xosal IReaponses* 

IV. 

My Master shed His life-blood 
My vassal life to win, 

And save me from the bondage 
Of tyrant self and sin. 

V. 

He chose me for His service, 
And gave me power to choose 

That blessed, * perfect freedom * 
Which I shall never lose : 



VI. 

For He hath met my longing 
With word of golden tone, 

That I shall serve for ever 
Himself, Himself alone. 

VII. 

* Shall serve Him ' hour by hour, 
For He will show me how ; 

My Master is fulfilling 
His promise even now ! 

VIII. 

' Shall serve Him/ and ' for ever;* 
O hope most sure, most fair ! , 

The perfect love outpouring 
In perfect service there ! 



IPerfect B>eace. 439 

IX. 

Rejoicing and adoring, 

Henceforth my song shall be : 
I love, I love my Master, 

I will not go out free ! 



TWENTY-FIFTH DAY. 



perfect peace* 

I. 

LIKE a river glorious 
Is God's perfect peace. 
Over all victorious 

In its bright increase. 
Perfect — yet it floweth 

Fuller every day ; 
Perfect — yet it groweth 

Deeper all the way. 
Chorus. Stayed upon Jehovah, 

Hearts are fully blest. 
Finding, as He promised. 
Perfect peace and rest. 

II. 

Hidden in the hollow 
Of His blessed hand. 



440 Xo^al TResponses. 

Never foe can follow, 
Never traitor stand. 
Not a surge of worry, 
Not a shade of care. 
Not a blast of hurry- 
Touch the spirit there. 
Chorus. Stayed upon Jehovah, 

Hearts are fully blest, 
Finding, as He promised. 
Perfect peace and rest. 

III. 

Every joy or trial 

Falleth from above. 
Traced upon our dial 

By the Sun of Love. 
We may trust Him solely 

All for us to do ; 
They who trust Him wholly. 

Find Him wholly true. 
Chorus, Stayed upon Jehovah, 

Hearts are fully blest, 
Finding, as He promised. 
Perfect peace and rest. 



H am witb Zbcc. 441 



TWENTY-SIXTH DAY. 



H am witb ^bee» 

I. 

* T AM with thee ! ' He hath said it 
JL In His truth and tender grace j 
Sealed the promise, grandly spoken, 
With how many a mighty token 
Of his love and faithfulness. 



n. 



He is with thee ! — In thy dwelling, 

Shielding thee from fear of ill ; 
All thy burdens kindly bearing, 
For thy dear ones gently' caring, 
Guarding, keeping, blessing still. 

III. 

He is with thee ! — In thy service 

He is with thee ' certainly,' 
Filling with the Spirit's power, 
Giving in the needing hour 
His own messages by thee. 



442 Xo^al TResponses. \ 

IV. 

He is with thee ! — With thy spirit, 
With thy lips, or with thy pen ; 
In the quiet preparation, 
In the heart-bowed congregation, 
Nevermore alone again ! 

V. 

He is with thee ! — With thee always. 

All the nights and all the days ; 
Never failing, never frowning, 
With His loving-kindness crowning. 
Tuning all thy life to praise. 

VI. 

He is with thee ! — -Thine own Master, 

Leading, loving to the end ; 
Brightening joy and lightening sorrow, 
A// to-day, yet more to-morrow. 
King and Saviour, Lord and Friend. 

^VII. 

He is with thee ! — Yes, for ever, 

Now, and through eternity ; 
Then with Him for ever dwelling, 
Thou shalt share His joy excelling. 

Thou with Christ and Christ with thee I 



C^ruat anD 2)istrust» 443 



TWENTY-SEVENTH DAY. 



ZvviQt mi> 2)i0tru6t* 

I. 

DISTRUST thyself, but trust His grace ; 
It is enough for thee ! 
In every trial thou shalt trace 
Its all-sufficiency. 

II. 

Distrust thyself, but trust His strength; 

In Him thou shalt be strong : 
His weakest ones may learn at length 

A daily triumph-song. 

HI. 

Distrust thyself, but trust His love ; 

Rest in its changeless glow : 
And life or death shall only prove 

Its everlasting flow. 

IV. 

Distrust thyself, but trust alone 

In Him, for all — for ever ! 
And joyously thy heart shall own 

That Jesus faileth never. 



444 Xogal TResponses* 

TWENTY-EIGHTH DAY. 



Mitbout Carefulneee* 

* I would have you without carefulness.' — I CoR. vii. 32c 

I. 

MASTER ! how shall I bless Thy name 
For Thy tender love to me, 
For the sweet enablings of Thy grace, 

So sovereign, yet so free, 
That have taught me to obey Thy word 
And cast my care on Thee ! 

II. 

They tell of weary burdens borne 

For discipline of life, 
Of long anxieties and doubts, 

Of struggle and of strife. 
Of a path of dim perplexities 

With fears and shadows rife. 

III. 

Oh, I have trod that weary path. 

With burdens not a few. 
With shadowy faith that Thou wouldst lead 

And help me safely through. 
Trying to follow and obey, 

And bear my burdens too. 



TKHftbout Caretulness* 445 

IV. 

Master ! dear Master, Thou didst speak. 

And yet I did not hear, 
Or long ago I might have ceased 

From every care and fear. 
And gone rejoicing on my way 

From brightening year to year. 

V. 

Just now and then some steeper slope 

Would seem so hard to climb, 
That I must cast my load on Thee ; 

And I left it for a time. 
And wondered at the joy at heart, 

Like sweetest Christmas chime. 

VI. 

A step or two on winged feet, 

And then I turned to share 
The burden Thou hadst taken up 

Of ever-pressing care; 
So that I would not leave with Thee 

Of course I had to bear. 

VII. 

At last Thy precious precepts fell 

On opened heart and ear, 
A varied and repeated strain 

I could not choose but hear, 
Enlinking promise and command. 

Like harp and clarion clear ; 
29 



446 Xogal TResponsea^ 

VIII. 

* No anxious thought upon thy brow 

The watching world should see ; 
No carefulness ! O child of God, 

For nothing careful be ! 
But cast thou all thy care on Him 

Who always cares for thee.* 

IX. 

Did not Thy loving Spirit come 

In gentle, gracious shower, 
To work Thy pleasure in my soul 

In that bright, blessed hour. 
And to the word of strong command 

Add faith and will and power? 

^• 

It was Thy word, it was Thy will — 

That was enough for me ! 
Henceforth no care shall dim my trust, 

For all is cast on Thee; I 

Henceforth my inmost heart shall praise 

The grace that set me free. 

XI. 

And now I find Thy promise true, 

Of perfect peace and rest ; 
I cannot sigh — I can but sing 

While leaning on Thy breast, 
And leaving everything to Thee, 

Whose ways are always best. 



TKaitbout Carefulness. 447 

XII. 

I never thought it could be thus, — 

Month after month to know 
The river of Thy peace without 

One ripple in its flow ; ^, 

Without one quiver in the trust. 

One flicker in its glow. 

XIII. 

Oh, Thou hast done far more for me 

Than I had asked or thought ! 
I stand and marvel to behold 

What Thou, my Lord, hast wrought, 
And wonder what glad lessons yet 

I shall be daily taught. 

XIV. 

How shall I praise Thee, Saviour dear. 

For this new life so sweet. 
For taking all the care I laid 

At Thy beloved feet. 
Keeping Thy hand upon my heart 

To still each anxious beat ! 

XV. 

I want to praise, with life renewed, 

As I never praised before ; 
With voice and pen, with song and speech, 

To praise thee more and more, 



4tJ5 Xo^al TResponscs, 

And the gladness and the gratitude 
Rejoicingly outpour. 

XVI. 

I long to praise Thee more, and yet 

This is no care to me : 
If Thou shalt fill my mouth with songs, 

Then I will sing to Thee ; 
And if my silence praise Thee best, 

Then silent I will be. 

XVII. 

Yet if it be Thy will, dear Lord, 

Oh, send me forth, to be 
Thy messenger to careful hearts, 

To bid them taste and see 
How good Thou art to those who cast 

All, all their care on Thee ! 



G;bi2 TRefan* 449 



TWENTY-NINTH DAY. 



Z\)^ IReign* 



* Righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.*- 
ROM. xiv. 17. 



T^ 



I. 

*HY reign is righteousness , 
Not mine, but Thine ! — 
A covering no less 
Than the broad, bright waves of Thy great sea, 
That roll triumphantly 
From line to pole, and pole to line ; 
A reign where every rebel thought 

In sweet captivity 
To Thine obedience is brought. 

II. 

Thy reign is perfect peace ; 
Not mine, but Thine ! — 
A stream that cannot cease, 
For its fountain is Thy heart. O depth unknown ! 
Thou givest of Thine own, 
Pouring from Thine and filling mine. 
The * noise of war ' hath passed away ; 

God's peace is on the throne, 
Ruling with undisputed sway. 



45 o Xosal 1Rc6ponec3* 

III. 

Thy reign is joy divine; 
Not mine, but Thine ; 
Or else not any joy to me ! 
For a joy that flowed not from Thine own. 
Since Thou hast reigned alone. 
Were vacancy or misery. 
O sunshine of Thy realm, how bright 

This radiance from Thy throne, 
Unspeakable in calmest light ! 



IV. 



Thy reign shall still increase ! 

I claim Thy word, — 
Let righteousness and peace 
And joy in the Holy Ghost be found. 
And more and more abound 
In me, through Thee, O Christ my Lord ; 
Take unto Thee Thy power, who art 

My Sovereign, many-crowned ! 
Stablish Thy kingdom in my heart. 



I 



CcleO, precious, Sure. 451 



THIRTIETH DAY. 



Jesi/§ 
Christ 



Zvic^y precioua, Sure* 

* The Same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever.'— 

Heb. xiii. 8. 
' A stone, a tried stone, a precious comer stone, a 

sure foundation.' — IsA. xxviii. 16. 



I. 



THROUGH the yesterday of ages, 
Jesus, Thou hast been The Same ; 
Through our own life's chequered pages, 

Still the one dear changeless Name. 
Well may we in Thee confide. 
Faithful Saviour, proved and * tried ! * 

II. 

Joyfully we stand and witness 
Thou art still to-day The Same ; 

In Thy perfect, glorious fitness, 
Meeting every need and claim. 

Chiefest of ten thousand Thou ! 

Saviour, O most * precious,' now! 

III. 

Gazing down the far for ever, 

Brighter glows the one sweet Name, 



45 » Xoigal TResponses^ 

Steadfast radiance j paling never, 

Jesus, Jesus ! still The Same. 
Evermore *Thou shalt endure/ 
Our own Saviour, strong and * sure I* 



THIRTY-FIRST DAY. 



3u0t wben ^bou Mtit 

I. 

JUST when Thou wilt, O Master, call, 
Or at the noon, or evening fall. 
Or in the dark, or in the light, — 
Just when Thou wilt, it must be right. 



II. 



Just when Thou wilt, O Saviour, come. 
Take me to dwell in Thy bright home ! 
Or when the snows have crowned my head, 
Or ere it hath one silver thread. 

III. 

Just when Thou wilt, O Bridegroom, say, 
* Rise up, my love, and come away 1 ' 



3^U0t wben (Tbou 'MiiU 453 

Open to me Thy golden gate, 

Just when Thou wilt, or soon, or late. 

IV. 

Just when Thou wilt — Thy time is best — 
Thou shalt appoint my hour of rest. 
Marked by the Sun of perfect love, 
Shining unchangeably above, 

V. 

Just when Thou wilt ! — no choice for me ! 
Life is a gift to use for Thee ; 
Death is a hushed and glorious tryst, 
With Thee, my King, my Saviour, Christ ! 



flnbey* 

PART I. 
MY KING. 



UAY 

1 . The Source of the Kingship, . 

2. The Promise of the King, 

3. Allegiance to the King, 

4. Decision for the King, . . 

5. The First to meet the King, 

6. The Condescension of the King, 

7. The Indwelling of the King, 

8. Full Satisfaction in the King, 

9. The Sorrow of the King, 

10. Going forth with the King, 

11. The Smiting of the King, 

12. The Kinship of the King, 

13. The Desire of the King, 

14. The Sceptre of the King, . , 

15. Cleaving to the King, 

16. The Joy of the King, 

17. Rest on the Word of the King 

18. The Business of the King, ' 

19. The Readiness of the King's Servants, 

20. The Friendship of the King, 

21. The Light of the King's Countenance, 

22. The Tenderness of the King, 

23. The Token of the King's Grace, 

24. The Omniscience of the King, 

25. The Power of the King's Word, 

26. The Name of the King, 

27. Working with the King, 

28. The Recompense of the King, 

29. The Salvation of the King, 

30. Good Tidings to the King's Household, 

31. The Prosperity of the King, 



(455) 



5 

7 

9 

II 

13 
15 

18 
20 
23 
25 
27 
29 
32 
35 
37 
39 
41 
44 
47 
50 
52 
54 
57 
59 
61 

64 
66 
68 

70 
73 

76 



456 



5nDej« 



ROYAL COMMANDMENTS. 

DAY 

1. Loving Allegiance, 

2. Seeking for His Commandments, 

3. Recognising His Commandments, 

4. The Means of Growth, 

5. Mental Food, 

6. The Transferred Burden, 

7. The Recall, 

8. The Conditions of Effectual Prayer, 

9. The Privilege of Intercession, 

10. Trusting in Darkness, 

11. Fear Not, . 

12. The Strength-giving Look, 

13. All-sided Guidance, 

14. Ruler, because Deliverer, 

15. Separation Unto^ 

16. Manifesting the Life of Jesus, 

17. The Yoke-destroying Anointing, 

18. Our Works in God's Hand, 

19. The Secret of Fulfilled Desire, 

20. Taking God at His Word, . 

21. Our Commission, 

22. Beholdnig and Declaring, . 

23. Telling of the liand of God, 

24. Telling of the King's Words, 

25. Evil Speaking, . . 

26. Hindering, .... 

27. Strengthening Hands, 

28. Seeking to Excel, 

29. What the Will of the Lord is, 

30. His Last Commandment, 

31. The Great Reward, 



81 

84 

87 
90 

93 
97 
100 
104 
107 
III 

119 

122 

125 
128 
132 
134 

138 
141 

145 
148 

151 

155 
159 
162 
166 
169 

173 
176 
180 
183 



THE ROYAL BOUNTY. 



1. The Royal Bounty, 

2. The Opened Treasure, 



191 
195 



5nDcj;. 



457 



DAY 

3- 


The King's Signature and Seal, 


FAGB 

198 


4- 


The Candour of Christ, .... 


202 


5- 


From Death Unto Life, .... 


206 


6. 


Justified, ....... 


210 


1- 


The Royal Wine, 


214 


8. 


The Gift of Peace, 


218 


9- 


The Abiding Joy, . . . . . 


220 


lo. 


The Sure Afterward, 


224 


II. 


No Hurt, 


227 


12. 


The Putting Forth of the Sheep, 


230 


13- 


§afe Stepping, ...... 


233 


.14- 


Thine, ....... 


237 


15- 


Unto Thee for Ever, ..... 


240 


1 6. 


Captive Thoughts, 


244 


17- 


The Imagination of the Thoughts of the Heart, 


246 


1 8. 


The Everlasting Service, .... 


250 


19. 


Most Blessed for Ever, .... 


. 254 


20. 


Do Thou for Me, 


257 


21. 


Marvellously helped, 


261 


22. 


Thou understandest, 


264 


23- 


The Proof of His Purpose, 


266 


24. 


The Garnering of the Least Grain, 


270 


25- 


Vindication, ....... 


273 


26. 


Wakeful Hours, . . . 


276 


27. 


Midnight Rememberings, .... 


279 


28. 


The Bright Side of Growing Older, 


281 


29. 


The Earnests of More and More, . • 


284 


30- 


The Perpetual Presence, . . . . 


288 


31- 


The Fame-excelling Reality, . . , 


291 




ROYAL INVITATION. 




I. 


The Giver of the Invitation, 


. 297 


2 


What is * Coming' ? ..... 


300 


3- 


All Things are Ready, .... 


302 


4- 


Now, 


305 


5- 


Coming into the Ark, .... 


. 3^7 


6. 


Drawn into the Ark, 


' 311 



458 



5nt)ej, 



DAY 

7. Coming for Rest, 

8. Want of Will, . 

9. The Call of the Spirit, 

10. Come and See, 

11. The Safe Venture, 

12. Coming Boldly, . 

13. A Hindrance, 

14. The Entreaty to Come, 

15. The Command to Come, 

16. Royal Largesse, 

17. Tarry not, . 

18. Without Christ, . 

19. Come away, 

20. Coming after Jesus, 
2 [ . Coming with Jesus, 

22. The Living Water, 

23. The Bread and Wine, 

24. Will you not Come ? 

25. Come near, 

26. To the Uttermost, 

27. The Proof of Christ's Ability to Save, 

28. Continual Coming, 

29. Fellowship and Cleansing, 

30. The Perpetual Covenant, 

31. The Consummation of the Invitation^ 



LOYAL RESPONSES. 



1. Consecration Hymn, 

2. Set Apart, .... 

3. The Secret of a Happy Day, 

4. The Unfailing One, 

5. On the Lord's Side, 

6. True-hearted, 

7. By Thy Cross and Passion, . 

8. The Opened Fountain, 

9. The Precious Blood of Jesus, 
10. I Remember thee, 



5nDe£. 



45^ 



JAY 

ii. Knowing, 

12. Trusting, 

13; Looking, 

14. Shining, 

15. Growing, 

16. Resting, 

17. Filling, 

18. Increase our Faith, 

19. ' Nobody knows but Jesus,' 

20. He is thy Life, 

21. £nough, 

22. All, 

23. Only, 

24. My Master, 

25. Perfect Peace, 

26. I am with thee, 

27. Trust and Distrust, 

28. Without Carefulness, 

29. Thy Reign, 

30. Tried, Precious, Sure, 

31. Just wheh Thou Wilt, 



PAGE 
412 
414 

417 
421 

423 
424 
426 
428 

431 
432 

434 

435 
437 
439 
441 

443 
444 
449 
451 
452 



PART II. 



KEPT 



Zhe flDaeter's "Clse. 



Take my life, and let it be 
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. 

Take my moments ai^ my days ; 
Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 

Take my hands, and let them move 
At the impulse of Thy love. 

Take my feet, and let them be 
Swift and * beautiful ' for Thee. 

Take my voice, and let me sing 
Always, only, for my King. 

Take my lips, and let them be 
Filled with messages from Thee. 

Take my silver and my gold ; 
Not a mite would I withhold. 

Take my intellect, and use 

Every power as Thou shalt choose. 

Take my will and make it Thine ; 
It shall be no longer mine. 

Take my heart ; it is Thine own ; 
It shall be Thy royal throne. 

Take my love ; my Lord, I pour 
At Thy feet its treasure-store. 

Take myself, and I will be 
Ever, on/y, ALL for Thee. 



CHAPTER I. 



M 



®ur %\vcQ ftept for 3cb\xb. 

* J^eep my life, that it may be 
Consecrated., Lord, to Thee.^ 

ANY a heart has echoed the little song : 

' Take my life, and let it be 
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee ! ' 



And yet those echoes have not been, in every case 
and at all times, so clear, and full, and firm, so 
continuously glad as we would wish, and perhaps 
expected. Some of us have said : 

* I launch me forth upon a sea 

Of boundless love and tenderness ; ' 

and after a little we have found, or fancied, that 
there is a hidden leak in our barque, and though we 
are doubtless still afloat, yet we are not sailing with 
the same free, exultant confidence as at first. What 
is it that has dulled and weakened the echo of our 
consecration song ? what is the little leak that hin- 
ders the swift and buoyant course of our conse- 
crated life ? Holy Father, let Thy loving spirit 



lo iRept for tbe Master's iUse* 

guide the hand that writes, and strengthen the heart 
of every one who reads what shall be written, for 
Jesus' sake. 

While many a sorrowfully-varied answer to these 
questions may, and probably will, arise from touched 
and sensitive consciences, each being shown by 
God's faithful Spirit the special sin, the special 
yielding to temptation which has hindered and 
spoiled the blessed life which they sought to enter 
and enjoy, it seems to me that one or other of two 
things has lain at the outset of the failure and dis- 
appointment. 

First, it may have arisen from want of the sim- 
plest belief in the simplest fact, as well as want of 
trust in one of the simplest and plainest words our 
gracious Master ever uttered ! The unbelieved fact 
being simply that He hears us ; the untrusted word 
being one of those plain, broad foundation-stones 
•on which we rested our whole weight, it may be 
many years ago, and which we had no idea we ever 
doubted, or were in any danger of doubting now, — 
' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast 
out.' 

* Take my life !' We have said it or sung it be- 
fore the Lord, it may be many times ; but if it were 
only once whispered in His ear with full purpose of 
heart, should we not believe that He heard it ? 
And if we know that He heard it, should we not 
believe that He has answered it, and fulfilled this, 
our heart's desire? For with Him hearing means 
heeding. Then why should we doubt that He did 
verily take pur lives when we offered them — our 



©ur %ixfee ftcpt tor 5c6U6. n 

bodies when we presented them ? Have we not 
been wronging His faithfulness all this time by 
practically, even if unconsciously, doubting whether 
the prayer ever really reached Him ? And if so, is it 
any wonder that we have not realized all the power 
and joy of full consecration ? By some means or other 
He has to teach us to trust implicitly at every step 
of the way. And so, if we did not really trust in 
this matter. He has had to let us find out our want 
of trwst by withholding the sensible part of the 
blessing, and thus stirring us up to find out why it 
is withheld. 

An offered gift must be either accepted or re- 
fused. Can He have refused it when He has said, 
' Him that cometh to Me I will in no wise cast out'? 
If not, then it must have been accepted. It is just 
the same process as when we came to Him first of 
all, with the intolerable burden of our sins. There 
was no help for it but to come with them to Him, 
and take His word for it that He would not and did 
not cast us out. And so coming, so believing, we 
found rest to our souls ; we found that His word 
was true, and that His taking away our sins was 
a reality. 

Some give their lives to Him then and there, and 
go forth to live thenceforth not at all unto them- 
selves, but unto Him who died for them. This is 
as it should be, for conversion and consecration 
ought to be simultaneous. But practically it is not 
very often so, except with those in whom the bring- 
ing out of darkness into marvellous light has been 
sudden and dazzling, and full of deepest contrasts. 
More frequently the work resembles the case of the 



12 ikept for tbe Master's IHee* 

Hebrew servant described in Exodus xxi., who, 
after six years' experience of a good master's ser- 
vice, dedicates himself voluntarily, unreservedly, 
and irrevocably to it, saying, * I love my master ; I 
will not go out free ; ' the master then accepting and 
sealing him to a life-long service, free in law, yet 
bound in love. This seems to be a figure of later 
consecration founded on experience and love. 

And yet, as at our first coming, it is less than 
nothing, worse than nothing that we have to bring; 
for our lives, even our redeemed and pardoned lives, 
are not only weak and worthless, but defiled and 
sinful. But thanks be to God for the Altar that 
sanctifieth the gift, even our Lord Jesus Christ 
Himself! By Him we draw nigh unto God; to 
Him, as one with the Father, we offer our living 
sacrifice ; in Him, as the Beloved of the Father, we 
know it is accepted. So, dear friends, when once 
He has wrought in us the desire to be altogether 
His own, and put into our hearts the prayer, * Take 
my life,' let us go on our way rejoicing, believing 
that He has taken our lives, our hands, our feet, our 
voices, our intellects, our wills, our whole selves, to 
be ever, only, all for Him. Let us consider that a 
blessedly settled thing ; not because of anything we 
have felt, or said, or done, but because we know 
that He heareth us, and because we know that He 
is true to His word. 

But suppose our hearts do not condemn us in 
this matter, our disappointment may arise from an- 
other cause. It may be that we have not received, 
because we have not asked a fuller and further 



®ur Xfves ftept for 5c6U6. 13 

blessing. Suppose that we did believe, thankfully 
and surely, that the Lord heard our prayer, and that 
He did indeed answer and accept us, and set us apart 
for Himself; and yet we find that our consecration 
was not merely miserably incomplete, but that we 
have drifted back again almost to where we were 
before. Or suppose things are not quite so bad as 
that, still we have not quite all we expected ; and 
even jf we think we can truly say,'0 God, my heart 
is fixed,' we find that, to our daily sorrow, some- 
how or other the details of our conduct do not 
seem to be fixed, something or other is perpetually 
slipping through, till we get perplexed and dis- 
tressed. Then we are tempted to wonder whether 
after all there was not some mistake about it, and 
the Lord did not really take us at our word, al- 
though we took Him at His word. And then the 
struggle with one doubt, and entanglement, and 
temptation only seems to land us in another. What 
is to be done then ? 

First, I think, very humbly and utterly honestly 
to search and try our ways before our God, or 
rather, as we shall soon realize our helplessness to 
make such a search, ask Him to do it for us, pray- 
ing for His promised Spirit to show us unmistak- 
ably if there is any secret thing with us that is hin- 
dering both the inflow and outflow of His grace to 
us and through us. Do not let us shrink from 
some unexpected flash into a dark corner ; do not 
let us wince at the sudden touching of a hidden 
plague-spot. The Lord always does His own work 
thoroughly if we will only let Him do it ; if we put 
our case into His hands. He will search and probe 



14 1Rept for tbc Master's lase. 

fully and firmly, though very tenderly. Very pain- 
fully, it may be, but only that He may do the very 
thing we want, — cleanse us and heal us thoroughly, 
so that we may set off to walk in real newness of 
life. But if we do not put it unreservedly into His 
hands, it will be no use thinking or talking about 
our lives being consecrated to Him. The heart that 
is not entrusted to Him for searching, will not be 
undertaken by Him for cleansing ; the life that 
fears to come to the light lest any deed should be 
reproved, can never know the blessedness and the 
privileges of walking in the light. 

But what then ? When He has graciously again 
put a new song in our mouth, and we are singing, 

* Ransomed, healed, restored, forgiven, 
Who like me His praise should sing ? ' 

and again with fresh earnestness we are saying, 

' Take my life, and let it be 
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee ! ' 

are we only to look forward to the same disappoint- 
ing experience over again? are we always to stand 
at the threshold ? Consecration is not so much a 
step as a course ; not so much an act, as a position 
to which a course of action inseparably belongs. 
In so far as it is a course and a position, there must 
naturally be a definite entrance upon it, and a time, 
it may be a moment, when that entrance is made. 
That is when we say, * Take '; but we do not want 
to go on taking a first step over and over again. 



®ur Xlves ftept tor 5csu6. i> 

What we want now is to be maintained in that po- 
sition, and to fufil that course. So let us go on to 
another prayer. Having already said, ' Take my 
life, for I cannot give it to Thee,' let us now say, 
with deepened conviction, that without Christ we 
really can do nothing, — *Keep my life, for I cannot 
keep it for Thee.' 

Let us ask this with the same simple trust to 
which, in so many other things. He has so liberally 
and graciously responded. For this is the confi- 
dence that we have in Him, that if we ask any- 
thing according to His will, He heareth us ; and if 
we know that He hears us, whatsoever we ask, we 
know that we have the petitions that we desired of 
Him. There can be no doubt that this petition is 
according to His will, because it is based upon 
many a promise. May I give it to you just as it 
floats through my own mind again and again, know- 
ing whom I have believed, and being persuaded that 
He is able to keep that which I have committed unto 
Him? 

Keep my life, that it may be 
Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. 

Keep my moments and my days ; 
Let them flow in ceaseless praise. 

Keep my hands, that they may move 
At the impulse of Thy love. 

Keep my feet, that they may be 
Swift and ' beautiful ' for Thee. 

Keep my voice, that I may sing 
Always, only, for my King. 



1 6 iftept tor tbe /iRaster's 1Il6e. 

Keep my lips, that they may be 
Filled with messages from Thee. 

Keep my silver and my gold ; 
Not a mite would I withhold. 

Keep my intellect, and use 
Every power as Thou shall choose. 

Keep my will, oh, keep it Thine ! 
For it is no longer mine. 

Keep my heart ; it is Thine own ; 
It is now Thy royal throne. 

Keep my love ; my Lord, I pour 
At Thy feet its treasure-store. 

Keep myself, that I may be 
Ever, only, ALL for Thee. 

Yes ! He who is able and willing to take unto 
Himself, is no less able and willing to keep for 
Himself. Our willing offering has been made by 
His enabling grace, and this our King has * seen 
with joy.' And now we pray, ' Keep this forever 
in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of 
Thy people ' (i Chron. xxix. 17, 18). 

This blessed * taking,' once for all, which we 
may quietly believe as an accomplished fact, fol- 
lowed by the continual 'keeping,' for which He 
will be continually inquired of by us, seems analo- 
gous to the great washing by which we have part 
in Christ, and the repeated washing of the feet for 
which we need to be continually coming to 'Him. 
For with the deepest and sweetest consciousness 



I 



©ur %ivcs ftept for Jcens. 17 

that He has indeed taken our lives to be His very- 
own, the need of His active and actual keeping of 
them in every detail and at every moment is most 
fully realized. But then we have the promise of 
our faithful God, ' I the Lord do keep it, I will 
keep it night and day.' The only question is, will 
we trust this promise, or will we not ? If we do, we 
shall find it come true. If not, of course it will 
not Jpe realized. For unclaimed promises are like 
imcashed cheques ; they will keep us from bank- 
ruptcy, but not from want. But if not, w/iy not ? 
What right have we to pick out one of His faithful 
sayings, and say we don't expect Him to fulfil 
that? What defence can we bring, what excuse can 
we invent, for so doing ? 

If you appeal to experience against His faithful- 
ness to His word, I will appeal to experience too, 
and ask you, did you ever really trust Jesus to ful- 
fil any word of His to you, and find your trust 
deceived ? As to the past experience of the details 
of your life not being kept for Jesus, look a little 
more closely at it, and you will find that though you 
may have asked, you did not trust. Whatever you 
did really trust Him to keep. He has kept, and the 
unkept things were never really entrusted. Scruti- 
nize this past experience as you will, and it will 
only bear witness against your unfaithfulness, never 
against His absolute faithfulness. 

Yet this witness must not be unheeded. We 
must not forget the things that are behind till they 
are confessed and forgiven. Let us now bring all 
this unsatisfactory past experience, and, most of all, 
the want of trust which has been the poison-spring 



i8 iRept tor tbe /iBaster's lUsc* 

of its course, to the precious blood of Christ, which 
cleanseth us, even us, from all sin, even this sin. 
Perhaps we never saw that we were not trusting 
Jesus as He deserves to be trusted ; if so, let us 
wonderingly hate ourselves the more that we could 
be so trustless to such a Saviour, and so sinfully 
dark and stupid that we did not even see it. And 
oh, let us wonderingly love Him the more that He 
has been so patient and gentle with us, upbraiding 
not, though in our slow-hearted foolishness we have 
been grieving Him by this subtle unbelief, and 
then, by His grace, may we enter upon a new era 
of experience, our lives kept for Him more fully 
than ever before, because we trust Him more simply 
and unreservedly to keep them ! 

Here we must face a question, and perhaps a dif- 
ficulty. Does it not almost seem as if we were at 
this point led to trusting to our trust, making every- 
thing hinge upon it, and thereby only removing a 
subtle dependence upon ourselves one step farther 
back, disguising instead of renouncing it ? If 
Christ's keeping depends upon our trusting, and 
our continuing to trust depends upon ourselves, we 
are in no better or safer position than before, and 
shall only be landed in a fresh series of disappoint- 
ments. The old story, something for the sinner to 
do, crops up again here, only with the ground 
shifted from ^ works ' to trust. Said a friend to me, 
* I see now ! I did trust Jesus to do everything 
else for me, but I thought that this trusting was 
something that / had got to do.' And so, of 
course, what she * had got to do ' had been a 



®ur %ivcs ftept tor Sesua. 19 

perpetual effort and frequent failure. We can no 
more trust and keep on trusting than we can do 
anything else of ourselves. Even in this it must 
be * Jesus only '; we are not to look to Him only to 
be the Author and Finisher of our faith, but we are 
to look to Him for all the intermediate fulfilment 
of the work of faith (2 Thess. i. 11) ; we must ask 
Him to go on fulfilling it in us, committing even 
this to His power. 

For we both may and must 
Commit our very faith to Him, 
Entrust to Him our trust. 

What a long time it takes us to come down to the 
conviction, and still more to the realization of the 
fact that without Him we can do nothings but that 
He must work all our works in us ! This is the 
work of God, that ye believe in Him whom He has 
sent. And no less must it be the work of God that 
we go on believing, and that we go on trusting. 
Then, dear friends, who are longing to trust Him 
with unbroken and unwavering trust, cease the 
effort and drop the burden, and now entrust your 
trust to Him ! He is just as well able to keep that 
as any other part of the complex lives which we 
want Him to take and keep for Himself And oh, 
do not pass on content with the thought, 'Yes, 
that is a good idea ; perhaps I should find that a 
T great help ! ' But, * Now, then, do it. ' It is no 
help to the sailor to see a flash of light across a 
dark sea, if he does not instantly steer accordingly. 

Consecration is not a religiously selfish thing. If 
it sinks into that, it ceases to be consecration. We 



20 mept tor tbe /IRaster's IDlge* 

want our lives kept, not that we may feel happy, 
and be saved the distress consequent on wandering, 
and get the power with God and man, and all the 
other privileges linked with it. We shall have all 
this, because the lower is included in the higher ; 
but our true aim, if the love of Christ constraineth 
us, will be far beyond this. Not for ' me ' at all but 
' for Jesus ' ; not for my safety, but for His glory ; 
not for my comfort, but for His joy ; not that I may 
find rest, but that He may see the travail of His soul, 
and be satisfied ! Yes, for Him I want to be kept. 
Kept for His sake ; kept for His use ; kept to be His 
witness ; kept for His joy ! Kept for Him, that in 
me He may show forth some tiny sparkle of His 
light and beauty; kept to do His will and His work in 
His own way ; kept, it may be, to suffer for His sake ; 
kept for Him, that He may do just what seemeth 
Him good with me ; kept, so that no other lord 
shall have any more dominion over me, but that 
Jesus shall have all there is to have ; — little enough, 
indeed, but not divided or diminished by any other 
claim. Is not this, O you who love the Lord — is 
not this worth living for, worth asking for, worth 
trusting for ? 

This is consecration, and I cannot tell you the 
blessedness of it. It is not the least use arguing 
with one who has had but a taste of its blessedness, 
and saying to him, ^ How can these things be? ' It 
is not the least use starting all sorts of difficulties 
and theoretical suppositions about it with such a 
one, any more than it was when the Jews argued 
with the man who said, * One thing I know, that 
whereas I was blind, now I see.' The Lord Jesus 



®ur Xlves ?iept tor 3-esu6/ 21 

does take the life that is offered to Him, and He 
does keep the life for Himself that is entrusted to 
Him ; but until the life is offered we cannot know 
the taking, and until the life is entrusted we cannot 
know or understand the keeping. All we can do is 
to say, * O taste and see ! ' and bear witness to the 
reality of Jesus Christ, and set to our seal that we 
have found Him true to His every word, and that 
we h^ve proved Him able even to do exceeding 
abundantly above all we asked or thought. Why 
should we hesitate to bear this testimony? We 
have done nothing at all; we have, in all our 
efforts, only proved to ourselves, and perhaps to 
. others, that we had no power either to give or keep 
our lives. Why should we not, then, glorify His 
grace by acknowledging that we have found Him so 
wonderfully and tenderly gracious and faithful in 
both taking and keeping as we never supposed or 
imagined? I shall never forget the smile and em- 
phasis with which a poor working man bore this 
witness to his Lord. I said to him, 'Well, H., we 
have a good Master, have we not?' 'Ah,' said he, 
' a deal better than ever /thought ! ' That summed 
up his experience, and so it will sum up the experi- 
ence of every one who will but yield their lives 
wholly to the same good Master. 

I cannot close this chapter without a word with 
those, especially my younger friends, who, although 
they have named the name of Christ, are saying, 
* Yes, this is all very well for some people, or for 
older people, but I am not ready for it ; I can't say 
I see my way to this sort of thing. ' I am going to 



22 ikcpt for tbe /iBaster's 'Glae* 

take the lowest ground for a minute, and appeal to 
your * past experience.' Are you satisfied with 
your experience of the other ' sort of thing ' ? Your 
pleasant pursuits, your harmless recreations, your 
nice occupations, even your improving ones, what 
fruit are yoii having from them ? Your social inter- 
course, your daily talks and walks, your investments 
of all the time that remains to you over and above 
the absolute duties God may have given you, what 
fruit that shall remain have you from all this ? Day 
after day passes on, and year after year, and what 
shall the harvest be ? What is even the present re- 
turn ? Are you getting any real and lasting satis- 
faction out of it all? Are you not finding that^ 
things lose their flavour, and that you are spending 
your strength day after day for nought ? that you 
are no more satisfied than you were a year ago — 
rather less so, if anything ? Does not a sense of 
hollowness and weariness come over you as you go 
on in the same round, perpetually getting through 
things only to begin again ? It cannot be other- 
wise. Over even the freshest and purest earthly 
fountains the Hand that never makes a mistake has 
written, ' He that drinketh of this water shall thirst 
again.' Look into your own heart and you will 
find a copy of that inscription already traced, 
* Shall thirst again. ' And the characters are being 
deepened with every attempt to quench the inevi- 
table thirst and weariness in life, which can only be 
satisfied and rested in full consecration to God. 
For * Thou hast made us for Thyself^ and the heart 
never resteth till it findeth rest in Thee.' To-day 
I tell you of a brighter and happier life, whose in- 



©ur %ivc3 ftept for 5c6U6» 23 

scription is, ^ Shall never thirst,^ — a life that is no 
dull round-and-round in a circle of unsatisfactori- 
nesses, but a life that has found its true and en- 
tirely satisfactory centre, and set itself towards a 
shining and entirely satisfactory goal, whose bright- 
ness is cast over every step of the way. Will you 
not seek it ? 

Do not shrink, and suspect, and hang back from 
what it may involve, with selfish and unconfiding 
and ungenerous half-heartedness. Take the word 
of any who have willingly offered themselves unto 
the Lord, that the life of consecration is * a deal 
better than they thought !' Choose this day whom 
you will serve with real, thorough-going, whole- 
hearted service, and He will receive you ; and you 
will find, as we have found, that He is such a good 
Master that you are satisfied with His goodness, 
and that you will never want to go out free. Nay, 
rather take His own word for it ; see what He says : 
* If they obey and serve Him, they shall spend their 
days in prosperity, and their years in pleasures.' 
You cannot possibly understand that till you are 
really in His service ! For He does not give, nor 
even show. His wages before you enter it. And He 
says, ' My servants shall sing for joy of heart. ' But 
you cannot try over that song to see what it is like, 
you cannot even read one bar of it, till your nomi- 
nal or even promised service is exchanged for real 
and undivided consecration. But when He can 
call you * My servant,' then you will find yourself 
singing for joy of heart, because He says you shall. 

^And who, then, is willing to consecrate his ser- 
vice this day unto the Lord ?' 



24 IRept tor tbe /iRastec's IDlae. 

' Do not startle at the term, or think, because 
you do not understand all it may include, you are 
therefore not qualified for it. I dare say it com- 
prehends a great deal more than either you or I 
understand, but we can both enter into the spirit of 
it, and the detail will unfold itself as long as our 
probation shall last. Christ demands a hearty con- 
secration in will, and He will teach us what that 
involves in act. ' 

This explains the paradox that ' full consecration ' 
may be in one sense the act of a moment, and in 
another the work of a lifetime. It must be com- 
plete to be real, and yet if real, it is always incom- 
plete ; a point of rest, and yet a perpetual progres- 
sion. 

Suppose you make over a piece of ground to 
another person. You give it up, then and there, 
entirely to that other ; it is no longer in your own 
possession ; you no longer dig and sow, plant and 
reap, at your discretion or for your own profit. His 
occupation of it is total ; no other has any right to 
an inch of it ; it is his affair thenceforth what crops 
to arrange for and how to make the most of it. But 
his practical occupation of it may not appear all at 
once. There may be waste land which he will take 
into full cultivation only by degrees, space wasted 
for want of draining or by over fencing, and odd 
corners lost for want of enclosing ; fields yielding 
smaller returns than they might because of hedge- 
rows too wide and shady, and trees too many and 
spreading, and strips of good soil trampled into 
uselessness for want of defined pathways. 

Just so is it with our lives. The transaction of. 



®ur Xives ftept for 5c0U6. 25 

so to speak, making them over to God is definite 
and complete. But then begins the practical de- 
velopment of consecration. And here He leads on 
* softly, according as the children be able to en- 
dure.' I do not suppose any one sees anything like 
all that it involves at the outset. We have not 
a notion what an amount of waste of power there 
has been in our lives ; we never measured out the 
odd corners and the undrained bits, and it never 
occurj;ed to us what good fruit might be grown in 
our straggling hedgerows, nor how the shade of our 
trees has been keeping the sun from the scanty 
crops. And so, season by season, we shall be some- 
times not a little startled, yet always very glad, as 
we find that bit by bit the Master shows how much 
more may be made of our ground, how much more 
He is able to make of it than we did ; and we shall 
be willing to work under Him and do exactly what 
He points out, even if it comes to cutting down a 
shady tree, or clearing out a ditch full of pretty 
weeds and wild-flowers. 

As the seasons pass on, it will seem as if there 
was always more and more to be done; the very 
fact that He is constantly showing us something 
more to be done in it, proving that it is really His 
ground. Only let Him have the ground, no matter 
how poor or overgrown the soil may be, and then 
^ He will make her wilderness like Eden, and her 
desert like the garden of the Lord.' Yes, even 
our * desert ' ! And then we shall sing, * My be- 
loved has gone down into His garden, to the 
beds of spices, to feed in the gardens and to 
gather lilies.' 



26 iRept tor tbe /iRaster's iUbc. 

Made for Thyself, O God ! 
Made for Thy love, Thy service, Thy delight; 
Made to show forth Thy wisdom, grace, and might ; 
Made for Thy praise, whom veiled archangels laud : 
Oh, strange and glorious thought, that we may be 

A joy to Thee ! 

Yet the heart turns away 
From this grand destiny of bliss, and deems 
'Twas made for its poor self, for passing dreams, 
Chasing illusions melting day by day. 
Till for ourselves we read on this world's best, 

' This is not rest ! ' 



CHAPTER II. 



®ur fiDomenta ftept for 3cBm. 

'■Keep my jnoments and my days ; 
Let them Jloiv in ceaseless praised 

IT may be a little help to writer and reader if we 
consider some of the practical details of the life 
which we desire to have ' kept for Jesus ' in the 
order of the little hymn at the beginning of this 
book, with the one word * take ' changed to * keep. ' 
So we will take a couplet for each chapter. 

The first point that naturally comes up is that 
which is almost synonymous with life — our time. 
And this brings us at once face to face with one of 
our past difficulties, and its probable cause. 



©ur /iBoments ftept tor 5esu0. 27 

When we take a wide sweep, we are so apt to 
he vague. When we are aiming at generalities 
we do not hit the practicalities. We forget that 
faithfulness to principle is only proved by faith- 
fulness in detail. Has not this vagueness had 
something to do with the constant ineffectiveness 
of our feeble desire that our time should be devoted 
to God? 

In things spiritual, the greater does not always 
include the less, but, paradoxically, the less more 
often includes the greater. So in this case, time is 
entrusted to us to be traded with for our Lord. But 
we cannot grasp it as a whole. We instinctively 
break it up ere we can deal with it for any purpose. 
So when a new year comes round, we commit it with 
special earnestness to the Lord. But as we do so, 
are we not conscious of a feeling that even a year is 
too much for us to deal with? And does not this 
feeling, that we are dealing with a larger thing than 
we can grasp, take away from the sense of reality ? 
Thus we are brought to a more manageable measure ; 
and as the Sunday mornings or the Monday morn- 
ings come round, we thankfully commit the opening 
week to Him, and the sense of help and rest is re- 
newed and strengthened. But not even the six or 
seven days are close enough to our hand ; even 
to-morrow exceeds our tiny grasp, and even to- 
morrow's grace is therefore not given to us. So we 
find the need of considering our lives as a matter of 
day by day, and that any more general committal and 
consecration of our time does not meet the case so 
truly. Here we have found much comfort and help, 
and if results have not been entirely satisfactory, 



28 icept tor tbc /Iftaster's lllse. 

they have, at least, been more so than before we 
reached this point of subdivision. 

But if we have found help and blessing by going 
a certain distance in one direction, is it not proba- 
ble we shall find more if we go farther in the same ? 
And so, if we may commit the days to our Lord, 
why not the hours, and why not the moments? And 
may we not expect a fresh and special blessing in 
so doing? 

We do not realize the importance of moments. 
Only let us consider those two sayings of God about 
them, ' In a moment shall they die,' and, ' We shall 
all be changed in a moment,' and we shall think 
less lightly of them. Eternal issues may hang upon 
any one of them, but it has come and gone before 
we can even think about it. Nothing seems less 
within the possibility of our own keeping, yet 
nothing is more inclusive of all other keeping. 
Therefore let us ask Him to keep them for us. 

Are they not the tiny joints in the harness through 
which the darts of temptation pierce us? Only give 
us time, we think, and we should not be overcome. 
Only give us time, and we could pray and resist;; 
and the devil would flee from us ! But he comes 
all in a moment ; and in a moment — an unguarded, 
unkept one — we utter the hasty or exaggerated word, 
or think the un-Christ-like thought, or feel the un- 
Christ-like impatience or resentment. 

But even if we have gone so far as to say, ' Take 
my moments,' have we gone the step farther, and 
really let Him take them — really entrusted them to 
Him ? It is no good saying * take,' when we do not 
let go. How can another keep that which we are keep- 



©ur /lBoment6 ftept tor ^cens. 29 

ing hold of? So let us, with full trust in His power, 
first commit these slippery moments to Him, — put 
them right into His hand, — and then we may trust- 
fully and happily say, ' Lord, keep them for me ! 
Keep every one of the quick series as it arises. I 
cannot keep them for Thee ; do Thou keep them 
for Thyself!' 

But the sanctified and Christ-loving heart cannot 
be satisfied with only negative keeping. We do not 
want only to be kept from displeasing Him, but to 
be kept always pleasing Him. Every ' kept from ' 
should have its corresponding and still more blessed 
* kept /or. ' We do not want our moments to be 
simply kept from Satan's use, but kept for His use ; 
we want them to be not only kept from sin, but kept 
for His praise. 

Do you ask, * But what use can he make of mere 
moments ? * I will not stay to prove or illustrate 
the obvious truth that, as are the moments so will 
be the hours and the days which they build. You 
understand that well enough. . I will answer your 
question as it stands. 

Look back through the history of the Church 
in all ages, and mark how often a great work and 
mighty influence grew out of a mere moment in the 
life of one of God's servants ; a mere moment, but 
overshadowed and filled with the fruitful power of 
the Spirit of God. The moment may have been 
spent in uttering five words, but they have fed five 
thousand, or even five hundred thousand. Or it 
may have been lit by the flash of a thought that 
has shone into hearts and homes throughout the 



30 iRept for tbe /lRa6ter'6 tlge. 

land, and kindled torches that have been borne 
into earth's darkest corners. The rapid speaker 
or the lonely thinker little guessed what use 
his Lord was making of that single moment. There 
was no room in it for even a thought of that. If 
that moment had not been, though perhaps uncon- 
sciously, 'kept for Jesus/ but had been otherwise 
occupied, what a harvest to His praise would have 
been missed ! 

The same thing is going on every day. It is 
generally a moment — either an opening or a culmi- 
nating one — that really does the work. It is not 
so often a whole sermon as a single short sentence 
in it that wings God's arrow to a heart. It is sel- 
dom a whole conversation that is the means of 
bringing about the desired result, but some sudden 
turn of thought or word, which comes with the 
electric touch of God's power. Sometimes it is 
less than that ; only a look (and what is more mo- 
mentary?) has been used by Him for the pulling 
down of strongholds. Again, in our own quiet 
waiting upon God, as moment after moment glides 
past in the silence at His feet, the eye resting upon 
a page of His Word, or only looking up to Him 
through the darkness, have we not found that He 
can so irradiate one passing moment with His light 
that its rays never die away, but shine on and on 
through days and years ? Are not such moments 
proved to have been kept for Him ? And if some, 
why not all ? 

This view of moments seems to. make it clearer 
that it is impossible to serve two masters, for it is 
evident that the service of a moment cannot be 



®uc Yllboments ftcpt tor S^eeus. 31 

divided. If it is occupied in the service of self, or 
any other master, it is not at the Lord's disposal; 
He cannot make use of what is already occupied. 

Oh, how much we have missed by not placing 
them at his disposal ! What might He not have 
done with the moments freighted with self or 
loaded with emptiness, which we have carelessly 
let drift by ! Oh, what might have been if they 
had all been kept for Jesus ! How He might 
have Med them with His light and life, enriching 
our own lives that have been impoverished by the 
waste, and using them in far-spreading blessing 
and power ! 

While we have been undervaluing these fractions 
of eternity, what has our gracious God been doing 
in them ? How strangely touching are the words, 

* What is man, that Thou shouldest set Thine heart 
upon him, and that Thou shouldest visit him every 
morning, and try him every moment?^ Terribly 
solemn and awful would be the thought that He 
has been trying us every moment, were it not for 
the yearning gentleness and love of the Father 
revealed in that wonderful expression of wonder, 

* What is man, that Thou shouldest set Thine heart 
upon him?' Think of that ceaseless setting of 
His heart upon us, careless and forgetful children 
as we have been ! And then think of those other 
words, none the less literally true because given 
under a figure: ^\, the Lord, do keep it; I will 
water it every moment. ' 

We see something of God's infinite greatness 
and wisdom when we try to fix our dazzled gaze 



32 1Rept for tbe /iRaeter's Tllse. 

on infinite space. But when we turn to the mar- 
vels of the microscope, we gain a clearer view and 
more definite grasp of these attributes by gazing on 
the perfection of His infinitesimal handiworks. 
Just so, while we cannot realize the infinite love 
which fills eternity, and the infinite vistas of the 
great future are * dark with excess of light ' even to 
the strongest telescopes of faith, we see that love 
magnified in the microscope of the moments, 
brought very close to us, and revealing its unspeak- 
able perfection of detail to our wondering sight. 

But we do not see this as long as the moments 
are kept in our own hands. We are like little 
children closing our fingers over diamonds. How 
can they receive and reflect the rays of light, ana- 
lyzing them into all the splendour of their pris- 
matic beauty, while they are kept shut up tight in 
the dirty little hands ? Give them up ; let our 
Father hold them for us, and throw His own great 
light upon them, and then we shall see them full 
of fair colours of His manifold loving-kindnesses; 
and let Him always keep them for us, and then we 
shall always see His light and His love reflected in 
them. 

And then, surely, they shall be filled with praise. 
Not that we are to be always singing hymns, and 
using the expressions of other people's praise, any 
more than the saints in glory are always literally 
singing a new song. But praise will be the tone, 
the colour, the atmosphere in which they flow ; 
none of them away from it or out of it. 

Is it a little too much for them all to * flow in 
ceaseless praise ' ? Well, where will you stop ? 



Om foments ftcpt for 5esu6. 33 

What proportion of your moments do you think 
enough for Jesus ? How many for the spirit of 
praise, and how many for the spirit of heaviness ? 
Be explicit about it, and come to an understanding. 
If He is not to have all, then /low much ? Calcu- 
late, balance, and apportion. You will not be able 
to do this in heaven — you know it will be all praise 
there; but you are free to halve your service of 
praise here, or to make the proportion what you 
will.- 

Yet, — He made you for His glory. 

Yet,— He chose you that you should be to the 
praise of His glory. 

Yet, — He loves you every moment, waters you 
every moment, watches you unslumberingly, cares 
for you unceasingly. 

Yet, — He died for you ! 

Dear friends, one can hardly write it without 
tears. Shall you or I remember all this love, and 
hesitate to give all our moments up to Him? Let 
us entrust Him with them, and ask Him to keep 
them all, every single one, for His own beloved 
self, and fill them all with His praise, and let them 
all be to His praise ! 



34 Iftept for tbe /Hbaster's IHse. 



CHAPTER III. 



®ur 1banb6 F^ept for 3cBm. 

* JiTeep my hands, that they may move 
At the ijnpulse of Thy love.'' 

WHEN the Lord has said to us, * Is thine heart 
right, as My heart is with thy heart ? ' the 
next word seems to be, ' If it be, give Me thine 
hand.' 

What a call to confidence, and love, and free, 
loyal, happy service is this ! and how different will 
the result of its acceptance be from the old lamen- 
tation : * We labour and have no rest ; we have 
given the hand to the Egyptians and to the Assyri- 
ans.' In the service of these 'other lords,' under 
whatever shape they have presented themselves, we 
shall have known something of the meaning of hav- 
ing * both the hands full with travail and vexation 
of spirit. ' How many a thing have we * taken in 
hand,' as we say, which we expected to find an 
agreeable task, an interest in life, a something 
towards filling up that unconfessed ' aching void ' 
which is often most real when least acknowledged ; 
and after a while we have found it change under our 
hands into irksome travail, involving perpetual vexa- 



©ur IbanOs ftcpt tor Jesus. 35 

tion of spirit ! The thing may have been of the earth 
and for the world, and then no wonder it failed to sat- 
isfy even the instinct of work, which comes natural 
to many of us. Or it may have been right enough 
in itself, something for the good of others so far as 
we understood their good, and unselfish in all but 
unravelled motive, and yet we found it full of 
tangled vexations, because the hands that held it 
were not simply consecrated to God. Well, if so, 
let us bring these soiled and tangle-making hands to 
the Lord, ' Let us lift up our heart with our hands ' 
to Him, asking Him to clear and cleanse them. 

If He says, ' What is that in thine hand?' let us 
examine honestly whether it is something which He 
can use for His glory or not. If not, do not let us 
hesitate an instant about dropping it. It may be 
something we do not like to part with ; but the 
Lord is able to give thee much more than this, and 
the first glimpse of the excellency of the knowledge 
of Christ Jesus your Lord will enable us to count 
those things loss which were gain to us. 

But if it is something which He can use. He will 
make us do ever so much more with it than before. 
Moses little thought what the Lord was going to 
make him do with that ' rod in his hand ' ! The 
first thing he had to do with it was to ' cast it on 
the ground,' and see it pass through a startling 
change. After this he was commanded to take it 
up again, hard and terrifying as it was to do so. 
But when it became again a rod in his hand, it was 
no longer what it was before, the simple rod of a 
wandering desert shepherd. Henceforth it was 
* the rod of God in his hand ' (Ex. iv. 20), where- 



36 fcept for tbe /Iftaster's i2lsc. 

with he should do signs, and by which God Him- 
self would do 'marvellous things' (Ps. Ixxviii. 12). 

If we look at any Old Testament text about con- 
secration, we shall see that the marginal reading of 
the word is, ' fill the hand ' (<?. g. Ex. xxviii. 41 ; 
I Chron. xxix. 5). Now, if our hands are full of 
* other things,' they cannot be filled with *the 
things that are Jesus Christ's' ; there must be empty- 
ing before there can be any true filling. So if we 
are sorrowfully seeing that our hands have not been 
kept for Jesus, let us humbly begin at the begin- 
ning, and ask Him to empty them thoroughly, that 
He may fill them completely. 

For they must be emptied. Either we come to 
our Lord willingly about it, letting Him unclasp 
their hold, and gladly dropping the glittering 
weights they have been carrying, or, in very love, 
He will have to force them open, and wrench from 
the reluctant grasp the ' earthly things ' which are 
so occupying them that He cannot have His right- 
ful use of them. There is only one other alterna- 
tive, a terrible one, — to be let alone till the day 
comes when not a gentle Master, but the relentless 
king of terrors shall empty the trembling hands as 
our feet follow him out of the busy world into the 
dark valley, for * it is certain we can carry nothing 
out.' 

Yet the emptying and the filling are not all that 
has to be considered. Before the hands of the 
priests could be filled with the emblems of conse- 
cration, they had to be laid upon the emblem of 



©ur IbanOs ftcpt tor 5esu6. 37 

atonement (Lev. viii. 14, etc.). That came first. 
'Aaron and his sons laid their hands upon the head 
of the bullock for the sin-offering.' So the trans- 
ference of guilt to our Substitute, typified by that 
act, must precede the dedication of ourselves to 
God. 

* My faith would lay her hand 
On that dear head of Thine, 
While like a penitent I stand, 
And there confess my sin.' 

The blood of that Holy Substitute was shed ' to 
make reconciliation upon the altar.' Without that 
reconciliation we cannot offer and present our- 
selves to God ; but this being made, Christ Him- 
self presents us. And you, that were sometime 
alienated, and enemies in your mind by wicked 
works, yet now hath He reconciled in the body of 
His flesh through death, to present you holy and 
unblamable and unreprovable in His sight. 

Then Moses 'brought the ram for the burnt- 
offering ; and Aaron and his sons laid their hands 
upon the head of the ram, and Moses burnt the 
whole ram upon the altar ; it was a burnt-offering 
for a sweet savour, and an offering made by fire un- 
to the Lord.' Thus Christ's offering was indeed a 
whole one, body, soul, and spirit, each and all suf- 
fering even unto death. These atoning sufferings, 
accepted by God for us, are, by our own free act, 
accepted by us as the ground of our acceptance. 

Then, reconciled and accepted, we are ready for 
consecration ; for then ' he brought the other ram ; 
the ram of consecration ; and Aaron and his sons 



38 IRept for tbe Master's lllse* 

laid their hands upon the head of the ram.' Here 
we see Christ, 'who is consecrated for evermore.' 
We enter by faith into union with Him who said, 
' For their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also 
might be sanctified through the truth.' 

After all this, their hands were filled with * con- 
secrations for a sweet savour,' so, after laying the 
hand of our faith upon Christ, suffering and dying 
for us, we are to lay that very same hand of faith, 
and in the very same way, upon Him as consecrated 
for us, to be the source and life and power of our 
consecration. And then our hands shall be filled 
with 'consecrations,' filled with Christ, and filled 
with all that is a sweet savour to God in Him. 

'And who then is willing to fill his hand this 
day unto the Lord ? ' Do you want an added 
motive ? Listen again : ' Fill your hands to-day 
to the Lord, that He may bestow upon you a bless- 
ing this day. ' Not a long time hence, not even to- 
morrow, but ' this day. ' Do you not want a bless- 
ing? Is not your answer to your Father's 'What 
wilt thou? ' the same as Achsah's, ^ Give me a bless- 
ing ! ' Here is His promise of just what you so 
want; will you not gladly fulfil His condition ? A 
blessing shall immediately follow. He does not 
specify what it shall be ; He waits to reveal it. You 
will find it such a blessing as you had not supposed 
could be for you — a blessing that shall verily make 
you rich, with no sorrow added — a blessing /Ms 
day. 

All that has been said about consecration applies 
to our literal members. Stay a minute, and look 



©uc Iban^s ftept for Jesus. 39 

at your hand, the hand that holds this little book as 
you read it. See how wonderfully it is made ; how 
perfectly fitted for what it has to do ; how ingen- 
iously connected with the brain, so as to yield that 
instantaneous and instinctive obedience without 
which its beautiful mechanism would be very little 
good to us ! Your hand, do you say ? Whether it 
is soft and fair with an easy life, or rough and strong 
with a working one, or white and weak with illness, 
it is-the Lord Jesus Christ's. It is not your own 
at all ; it belongs to Him. He made it, for with- 
out Him was not anything made that was made, not 
even your hand. And He has the added right of 
purchase — He has bought it that it might be one of 
His own instruments. We know this very well, but 
have we realized it? Have we really let Him have 
the use of these hands of ours ? and have we ever 
simply and sincerely asked Him to keep them for 
His own use ? 

Does this mean that we are always to be doing 
some definitely ' religious ' work, as it is called ? 
No, but that all that we do is to be always definitely 
doney^r Him. There is a great difference. If the 
hands are indeed moving 'at the impulse of His 
love,' the ^simplest little duties and acts are trans- 
figured into holy service to the Lord. 

*A servant with this clause 
Makes drudgery divine ; 
Who sweeps a room as for Thy laws, 
Makes that and the action fine.' 

George Herbert. 

A Christian school-girl loves Jesus; she wants to 
please Him all day long, and so she practices her 



40 Ikept for tbe /iRaster's iSiec. 

scales carefully and conscientiously. It is at the 
impulse of His love that her fingers move so stead- 
ily through the otherwise tiresome exercises. Some 
day her Master will find a use for her music ; but 
meanwhile it may be just as really done unto Him 
as if it were Mr. Sankey at his organ, swaying the 
hearts of thousands. The hand of a Christian lad 
traces his Latin verses, or his figures, or his copy- 
ing. He is doing his best, because a banner has 
been given him that it may be displayed, not so 
much by talk as by continuance in well-doing. 
And so, for Jesus' sake, his hand moves accurately 
and perseveringly. 

A busy wife, or daughter, or servant has a num- 
ber of little manual duties to perform. If these are 
done slowly and leisurely, they may be got through, 
but there will not be time left for some little service 
to the poor, or some little kindness to a suffering or 
troubled neighbour, or for a little quiet time alone 
with God and His word. And so the hands move 
quickly, impelled by the loving desire for service or 
communion, kept in busy motion for Jesus' sake. 
Or it may be that the special aim is to give no oc- 
casion of reproach to some who are watching, but 
so to adorn the doctrine that those may be won by 
the life who will not be won by the word* Then 
the hands will have their share to do ; they will 
move carefully, neatly, perhaps even elegantly, 
making every thing around as nice as possible, let- 
ting their intelligent touch be seen in the details of 
the home, and even of the dress, doing or arranging 
all the little things decently and in order for Jesus* 
sake. And so on with every duty in every position. 



©ur 1ban&0 ftept tor 3^esu0. 41 

It may seem an odd idea, but a simple glance at 
one's hand, with the recollection, ' This hand is 
not mine; it has been given to Jesus, and it must 
be kept for Jesus,' may sometimes turn the scale in 
a doubtful matter, and be a safeguard from certain 
temptations. With that thought fresh in your mind 
as you look at your hand, can you let it take up 
things which, to say the very least, are not ' for 
Jesus ' ? things which evidently cannot be used, as 
they most certainly are not used, either for Him or 
by Him ? Cards, for instance ! Can you deliber- 
ately hold in it books of a kind which you know 
perfectly well, by sadly repeated experience, lead 
you farther from instead of nearer to Him ? books 
which must and do fill your mind with those * other 
things ' which, entering in, choke the word? books 
which you would not care to read at all, if your 
heart were burning within you at the coming of 
His feet to bless you ? Next time any temptation 
of this sort approaches, just look at your hand ! 

It was of a literal hand that our Lord Jesus spoke 
when He said, ' Behold, the hand of him that be- 
trayeth Me is with Me on the table;' and, * He 
that dippeth his hand with Me in the dish, thte 
same shall betray Me. ' A hand so near to Jesus, 
with Him on the table, touching His own hand in 
the dish at that hour of sweetest, and closest, and 
most solemn intercourse, and yet betraying Him ! 
That same hand taking the thirty pieces of silver ! 
What a tremendous lesson of the need of keeping 
for our hands ! Oh that every hand that is with 
Him at His sacramental table, and that takes the 
memorial bread, may be kept from any faithless 



42 1kept for tbe /llbastcr's Tll^e. 

and loveless motion ! And again, it was by literal 
* wicked hands' that our Lord Jesus was crucified 
and slain. Does not the thought that human 
hands have been so treacherous and cruel to our 
beloved Lord make us wish the more fervently 
that our hands may be totally faithful and devoted 
to Him? 

Danger and temptation to let the hands move at 
other impulses is every bit as great to those who 
have nothing else to do but to render direct service, 
and who think they are doing nothing else. Take 
one practical instance — our letter-writing. Have 
we not been tempted (and fallen before the temp- 
tation), according to our various dispositions, to, let 
the hand that holds the pen move at the impulse to 
write an unkind thought of another; or to say a 
clever and sarcastic thing, or a slightly coloured 
and exaggerated thing, which will make our point 
more telling ; or to let out a grumble or a suspi- 
cion ; or to let the pen run away with us into flip- 
pant and trifling words, unworthy of our high and 
holy calling ? Have we not drifted away from the 
gt)lden reminder, ^ Should he reason with unprofit- 
able talk, and with speeches wherewith he can do 
no good ? ' Why has this been, perhaps again and 
again? Is it not for want of putting our hands 
into our dear Master's hand, and asking and trust- 
ing Him to keep them ? He could have kept ; He 
would have kept ! 

Whatever our work or our special temptations 
may be, the principle remains the same, only let us 
apply it for ourselves. 



©ur Iban^s ftept tot ^cem* 43 

Perhaps one hardly needs to say that the kept 
hands will be very gentle hands. Quick, angry 
motions of the heart will sometimes force them- 
selves into expression by the hand, though the 
tongue may be restrained. The very way in which 
we close a door or lay down a book may be a vic- 
tory or a defeat, a witness to Christ's keeping or a 
witness that we are not truly being kept. How can 
we expect that God will use this member as an in- 
strument of righteousness unto Him, if we yield it 
thus as an instrument of unrighteousness unto sin ? 
Therefore let us see to it, that it is at once yielded 
to Him whose right it is ; and let our sorrow that 
it should have been even for an instant desecrated 
to Satan's use, lead us to entrust it henceforth to 
our Lord, to be kept by the power of God through 
faith ' for the Master's use.' 

For when the gentleness of Christ dwells in us, 
He can use the merest touch of a finger. Have we 
not heard of one gentle touch on a wayward shoul- 
der being the turning-point of a life ? I have known 
a case in which the Master made use of less than 
that — only the quiver of a little finger being made 
the means of touching a wayward heart. 

What must the touch of the Master's own hand 
have been ! One imagines it very gentle, though 
so full of power. Can He not communicate both 
the power and the gentleness ? When He touched 
the hand of Peter's wife's mother, she arose and 
ministered unto them. Do you not think the hand 
which Jesus had just touched must have ministered 
very excellently ? As we ask Him to * touch our lips 
with living fire,' so that they may speak effectively 



44 If^ept tor tbe Master's TSisc* 

for Him, may we not ask Him to touch our hands, 
that they may minister effectively, and excel in all 
that they find to do for Him ? Then our hands 
shall be made strong by the hands of the Mighty 
God of Jacob. 

It is very pleasant to feel that if our hands are in- 
deed our Lord's, we may ask Him to guide them, 
and strengthen them, and teach them. I do not 
mean figuratively, but quite literally. In every- 
thing they do for Him (and that should be every- 
thing we ever undertake) we want to do it well — 
better and better. * Seek that ye may excel. ' We 
are too apt to think that He has given us certain 
natural gifts, but has nothing practically to do with 
the improvement of them, and leaves us to our- 
selves for that. Why not ask him to make these 
hands of ours more handy for His service, more 
skilful in what is indicated as the '■ next thynge ' they 
are to do? The 'kept' hands need not be clumsy 
hands. If the Lord taught David's hands to war and 
his fingers to fight, will He not teach our hands^ and 
fingers too, to do what He would have them do? 

The Spirit of God must have taught Bezaleel's 
hands as well as his head, for he was filled with it 
not only that he might devise cunning works, but 
also in cutting of stones and carving of timber. And 
when all the women that were wise-hearted did spin 
with their hands, the hands must have been made 
skilful as well as the hearts made wise to prepare 
the beautiful garments and curtains. 

There is a very remarkable instance of the hand 
of the Lord, which I suppose signifies in that case 



©ur IbanDs ftept toe ^C6\xs* 45 

the power of His Spirit, being upon the hand of a 
man. In i Chron. xxviii. 19, we read : 'AH this, 
said David, the Lord made me understand in writ- 
ing by His hand upon me, even all the works of 
this pattern.' This cannot well mean that the Lord 
gave David a miraculously written scroll, because, 
a few verses before, it says that he had it all by the 
Spirit. So what else can it mean but that as David 
wrote, the hand of the Lord was upon his hand, 
irffpelling him to trace, letter by letter, the right 
words of description for all the details of the temple 
that Solomon should build, with its courts and 
chambers, its treasuries and vessels ? Have we not 
sometimes sat down to write, feeling perplexed and 
ignorant, and wishing some one were there to tell 
us what to say? At such a moment, whether it 
were a mere note for post, or a sheet for press, it is 
a great comfort to recollect this mighty laying of a 
Divine hand upon a human one, and ask for the 
same help from the same Lord. It is sure to be 
given ! 

And now, dear friend, what about your own 
hands? Are they consecrated to the Lord who 
loves you ? And if they are, are you trusting Him 
to keep them, and enjoying all that is involved in 
that keeping? Do let this be settled with your 
Master before you go on to the next chapter. 

After all, this question will hinge on another. Do 
you love Him ? If you really do, there can surely 
be neither hesitation about yielding them to Him, 
nor about entrusting them to Him to be kept. Does 
He love you ? That is the truer way of putting it ; 



46 Ikept tor tbe /iRaster's mse. 

for it is not our love to Christ, but the love of 
Christ to us which constraineth us. And this is 
the impulse of the motion and the mode of the 
keeping. The steam-engine does not move when 
the fire is not kindled, nor when it is gone out ; no 
matter how complete the machinery and abundant 
the fuel, cold coals will neither set it going nor 
keep it working. Let us ask Him so to shed 
abroad His love in our hearts by the Holy Ghost 
which is given unto us, that it may be the perpetual 
and only impulse of every action of our daily life. 



CHAPTER IV. 



®ur jfeet feept for 3cb\xb. 

* Ji'itfJ/ my feet ^ that they may be 
Swift a7td beautiful for Thee.'' 

THE figurative keeping of the feet of His saints, 
with the promise that when they run they 
shall not stumble, is a most beautiful and helpful 
subject. But it is quite distinct from the literal 
keeping for Jesus of our literal feet. 

There is a certain homeliness about the idea which 
helps to make it very real. These very feet of ours 
are purchased for Christ's service by the precious 
drops which fell from His own torn and pierced feet 
upon the cross. They are to be His errand-run- 



®uc 3feet feept for Jcsm. 47 

ners. How can we let the world, the flesh, and the 
devil have the use of what has been purchased with 
such payment ? 

Shall ' the world ' have the use of them ? Shalt 
they carry us where the world is paramount, and 
the Master cannot be even named, because the men- 
tion of His Name would be so obviously out of 
place ? I know the apparent difficulties of a subject 
which will at once occur in connection with* this, 
buj; they all vanish when our bright banner is loy- 
ally unfurled, with its motto, 'A// for Jesus !' Do 
you honestly want your very feet to be ' kept for 
Jesus ' ? Let these simple words, ' Kept for Jesus, * 
ring out next time the dancing difficulty or any 
other difficulty of the same kind comes up, and I 
know what the result will be ! 

Shall * the flesh ' have the use of them ? Shall they 
carry us hither and thither merely because we like 
to go, merely because it pleases ourselves to take 
this walk or pay this visit ? And after all, what a 
failure it is ! If people only would believe it, self- 
pleasing is always a failure in the end. Our good 
Master gives us a reality and fulness of pleasure in 
pleasing Him which we never get out of pleasing 
ourselves. 

Shall * the devil ' have the use of them ? Oh no, 
of course not ! We start back at this, as a highly 
unnecessary question. Yet if Jesus has not, Satan 
has. For as all are serving either the Prince of 
Life or the prince of this world, and as no man can 
serve two masters, it follows that if we are not serv- 
ing the one, we are serving the other. And Satan 
is only too* glad to disguise this service under the 



48 Ikcpt tor tbe Master's lase. 

less startling form of the world, or the still less 
startling one of self All that is not * kept for 
Jesus/ is left for self or the world, and there- 
•fore for Satan. 

There is no fear but that our Lord will have 
many uses for what is kept by Him for Himself. 
* How beautiful are the feet of them that bring glad 
tidings of good things ! ' That is the best use of 
all ; and I expect the angels think those feet beauti- 
ful, even if they are cased in muddy boots or 
goloshes. 

Once the question was asked, ' Wherefore wilt 
thou run, my son, seeing that thou hast no tidings 
ready ? ' So if we want to have these beautiful feet, 
we must have the tidings ready which they are to 
bear. Let us ask Him to keep our hearts so freshly 
full of His good news of salvation, that our mouths 
may speak out of their abundance. ' If the clouds 
be full of rain, they empty themselves upon the 
earth.' The ' two olive branches empty the golden 
oil out of themselves. ' May we be so filled with 
the Spirit that we may thus have much to puur out 
for others ! 

Besides the great privilege of carrying water from 
the wells of salvation, there are plenty of cups of 
cold water to be carried in all directions; not to 
the poor only, — ministries of love are often as much 
needed by a rich friend. But the feet must be kept 
for these ; they will be too tired for them if they 
are tired out for self-pleasing. In such services we 
-are treading in the blessed steps of His most holy 
life, who * went about doing good.' 



©uc 3Fcct ftept tor ^esus, 49 

, Then there is literal errand-going, — ^just to fetch 
something that is needed for the household, or 
something that a tired relative wants, whether asked 
or unasked. Such things should come first in- 
stead of last, because these are clearly indicated 
as our Lord's will for us to do, by the position 
in which He has placed us; while what seems 
more direct service, may be after all not so di- 
rectly apportioned by Him. ' I have to go and buy 
some soap,' said one with a little sigh. The sigh 
was waste of breath, for her feet were going to 
do her Lord's will for that next half-hour much 
more truly than if they had carried her to her 
well-worked district, and left the soap to take its 
chance. 

A member of the Young Women's Christian 
Association wrote a few words on this subject, 
which, I think, will be welcome to many more than 
she expected them to reach : — 

' May it not be a comfort to those of us who feel 
we have not the mental or spiritual power that 
others have, to notice that the living sacrifice men- 
tioned in Rom. xii. i is our " bodies " ? Of course, 
that includes the mental power, but does it not 
also include the loving, sympathizing glance, the 
kind, encouraging word, the ready errand for 
another, the work of our hands, opportunities for 
all of which come oftener in the day than for the 
mental power we are often tempted to envy ? May 
we be enabled to offer willingly that which we have. 
For if there be first a willing mind, it is accepted 
according to that a man hath, and not according to 
that he hath not.' 



50 Ifcept toe tbe /nbaster's iSisc* 

If our feet are to be kept at His disposal, our 
eyes must be ever toward the Lord for guidance. 
We must look to Him for our orders where to go. 
Then He will be sure to give them, * The steps 
of a good man are ordered by the Lord.' Very 
often we find that they have been so very literally 
ordered for us that we are quite astonished, — ^just as 
if He had not promised ! 

Do not smile at a very homely thought ! If our 
feet are not our own, ought we not to take care of 
them for Him whose they are ? Is it quite right to 
be reckless about 'getting wet feet,' which might 
be guarded against either by forethought or after- 
thought, when there is, at least, a risk of hindering 
our service thereby? Does it please the Master 
when even in our zeal for His work we annoy 
anxious friends by carelessness in little things of 
this kind? 

May every step of our feet be more and more 
like those of our beloved Master. Let us continu- 
ally consider Him in this, and go where He would 
have gone, on the errands which He would have 
done, ' following hard ' after Him. And let us 
look on to the time when our feet shall stand in the 
gates of the heavenly Jerusalem, when holy feet 
shall tread the streets of the holy city ; no longer 
pacing any lonely path, for He hath said, ' They 
shall walk with Me in white.' 



* And He hath said, " How beautiful the feet ! " 
The " feet " so weary, travel-stained, and worn- 
The " feet " that humbly, patiently have borne 
The toilsome way, the pressure, and the heat. 



©ur IDofces liept tor ^csws* 51 

* The " feet," not hasting on with winged might, 

Nor strong to trample down the opposing foe ; 
So lowly, and so human, they must go 
By painful steps to scale the mountain height. 

* Not unto all the tuneful lips are given, 

The ready tongue, the words so strong and sweet; 
Yet all may turn, with humble, willing " feet," 
And bear to darkened souls the light from heaven. 

* And fall they while the goal far distant lies, 

"With scarce a word yet spoken for their Lord — 
His sweet approval He doth yet accord; 
Their " feet " are beauteous in the Master's eyes. 

* With weary human " feet " He, day by day. 

Once trod this earth to work His acts of love ; 
And every step is chronicled above 
His servants 'take to follow in His way.' 

Sarah Geraldina Stock. 



CHAPTER V. 



®ur IDoicea ftept for 3cme. 

* JiTeep my voice^ and let me sing 
Always^ only, for my Kmg.^ 

I HAVE wondered a little at being told by an ex- 
perienced worker, that in many cases the voice 
seems the last and hardest thing to yield entirely to 
the King ; and that many who think and say they 



52 IPjept for tbe /iftaster's lUge* 

have consecrated all to the Lord and His service, 
* revolt ' when it comes to be a question of whether 
they shall sing ' always, only, ' for their King. They 
do not mind singing a few general sacred songs, 
but they do not see their way to really singing 
always and only unto and for Him. They want to 
bargain and balance a little. They question and 
argue about what proportion they may keep for 
self- pleasing and company-pleasing, and how much 
they must ' give up ' ; and who will and who won't 
like it; and what they 'really mus^ sing,' and what 
they ' really must nof sing ' at certain times and 
places; and what 'won't do,' and what they 'can't 
very well help,' and so on. And so when the ques- 
tion, ' How much owest thou unto my Lord? ' is 
applied to this particularly pleasant gift, it is not 
met with the loyal, free-hearted, happy response, 
' All ! yes, a/l for Jesus ! ' 

I know there are special temptations around this 
matter. Vain and selfish ones — whispering how 
much better a certain song suits your voice, and 
how much more likely to be admired. Faithless 
ones — suggesting doubts whether you can make the 
holy song 'go.' Specious ones — asking whether 
you ought not to please your neighbours, and 
hushing up the rest of the precept, ' Let every 
one of you please his neighbour /or his good to 
edification ' (Rom. xv. 2). Cowardly ones — telling 
you that it is just a little too much to expect of 
you, and that you are not called upon to wave 
your banner in people's very faces, and provoke 
surprise and remark, as this might do. And so 
the banner is kept furled, the witness for Jesus is 



©uv IDoices liept tor 3^C0U0» 53 

not borne, and you sing for others and not for 
your King. 

The words had passed your lips, * Take my 
voice!' And yet you will not let Him have it; 
you will not let Him have that which costs you 
something, just because it costs you something ! 
And yet He lent you that pleasant voice that you 
might use it for Him. And yet He, in the sureness 
of His perpetual presence, was beside you all the 
while, and heard every note as you sang the songs 
which were, as your inmost heart knew, not for 
Him. 

Where is your faith ? Where is the consecration 
you have talked about ? The voice has not been 
kept for Him, because it has not been truly and un- 
reservedly given to Him. Will you not now say, 

* Take my voice, for I had not given it to Thee ; 
keep my voice, for I cannot keep it for Thee ' ? 

And He will keep it ! You cannot tell, till you 
have tried, how surely all the temptations flee when 
it is no longer your battle but the Lord's; nor how 
completely and curiously all the difficulties vanish, 
when you simply and trustfully go forward in the 
path of full consecration in this matter. You will 
find that the keeping is most wonderfully real. Do 
not expect to lay down rules and provide for every 
sort of contingency. If you could, you would miss 
the sweetness of the continual guidance in the 

* kept ' course. Have only one rule about it — ^just 
to look up to your Master about every single song 
you are asked or feel inclined to sing. If you are 

* willing and obedient,' you will always meet His 
guiding eye. He will always keep the voice that is 



54 Ifcept for tbe jfllbastcr'6 TSisc* 

wholly at His disposal. Soon you will have such 
experience of His immediate guidance that you will 
be utterly satisfied with it, and only sorrowfully 
wonder you did not sooner thus simply lean on it. 
I have just received a letter from one who has 
laid her special gift at the feet of the Giver, yield- 
ing her voice to Him with hearty desire that it 
might be kept for His use. She writes : ' I had 
two lessons on singing while in Germany from our 
Master. One was very sweet. A young girl wrote 
to me, that when she had heard me sing, * ' O come, 
everyone thatthirsteth," she went away and prayed 
that she might come, and she did come, too. Is 
not He good ? The other was : I had been tempted 

to join the Gesang Verein in N . I prayed to 

be shown whether I was right in so doing or not. 
I did not see my way clear, so I went. The sing- 
ing was all secular. The very first night I went I 
caught a bad cold on my chest, which prevented me 
from singing again at all till Christmas. Those 
were better than any lessons from a singing master!' 
Does not this illustrate both the keeping y^<?;« and 
the keeping for ? In the latter case I believe she 
honestly wished to know her Lord's will, — whether 
the training and practice were needed for His bet- 
ter service with her music, and that, therefore, she 
might take them for His sake ; or whether the con- 
comitants and influence would be such as to hinder 
the close communion with Him which she had 
found so precious, and that, therefore, she was to 
trust Him to give her ^ much more than this.' And 
so, at once. He showed her unmistakeably what He 
would have her not do, and gave her the sweet 



®ur Doices ftept tor 3^e6U0. 55 

consciousness that He Himself was teaching her 
and taking her at her word. I know what her pas- 
sionate love for music is, and how very real and 
great the compensation from Him must have been 
which could thus make her right down glad about 
what would otherwise have been an immense disap- 
pointment. And then, as to the former of these 
two Messons,' the song she names was one substi- 
tuted when she said, ' Take my voice,' for some 
which were far more effective for her voice. But 
having freely chosen to sing what might glorify the 
Master rather than the singer, see how, almost im- 
mediately, He gave her a reward infinitely outweigh- 
ing all the drawing-room compliments or concert- 
room applause ! That one consecrated song found 
echoes in heaven, bringing, by its blessed result, 
joy to the angels and glory to God. And the mem- 
ory of that song is immortal ; it will live through 
ages to come, never lost, never dying away, when 
the vocal triumphs of the world's greatest singers 
are past and forgotten for ever. Now you who have 
been taking a half-and-half course, do you get such 
rewards as this ? You may well envy them ! But 
why not take the same decided course, and share 
the same blessed keeping and its fulness of hidden 
reward ? 

If you only knew, dear hesitating friends, what 
strength and gladness the Master gives when we 
loyally *sing forth the honour of His Name,' you 
would not forego it ! Oh, if you only knew the dif- 
ficulties it saves ! For when you sing ' always and 
only for your King,' you will not get much en- 
tangled by the King's enemies. Singing an out- 



S6 1kept for tbe Master's "Glse* 

and-out sacred song often clears one's path at a 
stroke as to many other things. If you only knew 
the rewards He gives — very often then and there ; 
the recognition that you are one of the King's 
friends by some lonely and timid one ; the open- 
ings which you quite naturally gain of speaking a 
word for Jesus to hearts which, without the song, 
would never have given you the chance of the word ! 
If you only knew the joy of believing that Hh 
sure promise, ' My Word shall not return unto Me 
void,' will be fulfilled as you smg that word for 
Him ! If you only tasted the solemn happiness of 
knowing that you have indeed a royal audience, 
that the King Himself is listening as you sing ! If 
you only knew — and why should you not know ? 
Shall not the time past of your life suffice you for 
the miserable, double-hearted, calculating service ? 
Let Him have the w/io/e use of your voice at any 
cost, and see if He does not put many a totally un- 
expected new song into your mouth ! 

I am not writing all this to great and finished 
singers, but to everybody who can sing at all. 
Those who think they have only a very small talent, 
are often most tempted not to trade with it for their 
Lord. Whether you have much or little natural 
voice, there is reason for its cultivation and room 
for its use. Place it at your Lord's disposal, and 
He will show you how to make the most of it for 
Him; for not seldom His multiplying power is 
brought to bear on a consecrated voice. A puzzled 
singing master, very famous in his profession, said 
to one who tried to sing for Jesus, ' Well, you have 
not much voice; but, mark my words, you will 



©ur Voices Kept tor 5esu0» 57 

always beat anybody with four times your voice ! ' 
He was right, though he did not in the least know 
why. 

A great many so-called ' sacred songs ' are so 
plaintive and pathetic that they help to give a 
gloomy idea of religion. Now donW sing these ; 
come out boldly, and sing definitely and unmis- 
takeably for your King, and of your King, and to 
your Jving. You will soon find, and even outsiders 
will have to own, that it is a good thing thus to show 
forth His loving-kindness and His faithfulness (see 
Ps. xcii. 1-3). 

Here I am usually met by the query, ' But what 
would you advise me to sing ? ' I can only say that 
I never got any practical help from asking any one 
but the Master Himself, and so I would advise you 
to do the same ! He knows exactly what will best 
suit your voice and enable you to sing best for 
Him ; for He made it, and gave it just the pitch 
and tone He pleased, so, of course. He is the best 
counsellor about it. Refer your question in sim- 
plest faith to Him, and I am perfectly sure you will 
find it answered. He will direct you, and in some 
way or other the Lord will provide the right songs 
for you to sing. That is the very best advice I can 
possibly give you on the subject, and you will prove 
it to be so if you will act upon it. 

Only one thing I would add : I believe there is 
nothing like singing His own words. The preacher 
claims the promise, ' My word shall not return unto 
Me void,' and why should not the singer equally 
claim it? Why should we use His own inspired 



58 Itept tot tbe /lBa6tev'0 lllse* 

words, with faith in their power, when speaking or 
writing, and content ourselves with human words 
put into rhyme (and sometimes very feeble rhyme) 
for our singing ? 

What a vista of happy work opens out here ! 
What is there to prevent our using this mightiest 
of all agencies committed to human agents, the 
Word, which is quick and powerful, and sharper 
than any two-edged sword, whenever we are asked 
to sing? By this means, even a young girl may be 
privileged to make that Word sound in the ears of 
many who would not listen to it otherwise. By 
this, the incorruptible seed may be sown in other- 
wise unreachable ground. 

It is a remarkable fact that it is actually the 
easiest way thus to take the very highest ground. 
You will find that singing Bible words does not ex- 
cite the prejudice or contempt that any other words, 
sufficiently decided to be worth singing, are almost 
sure to do. For very decency's sake, a Bible song 
will be listened to respectfully; and for very 
shame's sake, no adverse whisper will be ventured 
against the words in ordinary English homes. The 
singer is placed on a vantage-ground, certain that 
at least the words of the song will be outwardly re- 
spected, and the possible ground of unfriendly 
criticism thus narrowed to begin with. 

But there is much more than this. One feels the 
power of His words for oneself as one sings. One 
loves them and rejoices in them, and what can be 
greater help to any singer than that? And one 
knows they are true, and that they cannot really re- 
turn void, and what can give greater confidence 



©uc Voices ftept tor S^eaus. 59 

than that ? God may bless the singing of any 
words, but He musif bless the singing of His own 
Word, if that promise means what it says ! 

The only real difficulty in the matter is that 
Scripture songs, as a rule, require a little more prac- 
tice than others. Then practise them a little more ! 
You think nothing of the trouble of learning, for 
instance, a sonata, which takes you many a good 
hour's practice before you can render it perfectly 
and expressively. But you shrink from a song, the 
accompaniment of which you cannot read off with- 
out any trouble at all. And you never think of 
such a thing as taking one-tenth the pains to learn 
that accompaniment that you took to learn that 
sonata ! Very likely, too, you take the additional 
pains to learn the sonata off by heart, so that you 
may play it more effectively. But you do not take 
pains to learn your accompaniment by heart, so 
that you may throw all your power into the expres- 
sion of the words, undistracted by reading the notes 
and turning over the leaves. It is far more useful 
to have half a dozen Scripture songs thoroughly 
learnt and made your own, than to have in your 
portfolios several dozen easy settings of sacred 
poetry which you get through with your eyes fixed 
on the notes. And every one thus thoroughly mas- 
tered makes it easier to master others. 

You will say that all this refers only to drawing- 
room singing. So it does, primarily, but then it is 
the drawing-room singing which has been so little 
for Jesus and so much for self and society ; and so 
much less has been said about it, and so much less 
done. There would not be half the complaints of 



6o ikept for tbe Master's lllsc. 

the difficulty of witnessing for Christ in even pro- 
fessedly Christian homes and circles, if every con- 
verted singer were also a consecrated one. For 
nothing raises or lowers the tone of a whole even- 
ing so much as the character of the music. There 
are few things w^hich show more clearly that, as a 
rule, a very definite step in advance is needed be- 
yond being a believer or ev6n a worker for Christ. 
Over how many grand or cottage pianos could the 
Irish Society's motto, 'For Jesus' sake only,^ be 
hung, without being either a frequent reproach, or 
altogether inappropriate? 

But what is learnt will, naturally, be sung. And 
oh ! how many Christian parents give their daugh- 
ters the advantage of singing lessons without 
troubling themselves in the least about what songs 
are learnt, provided they are not exceptionally 
foolish ! Still more pressingly I would say, how 
many Christian principals, to whom young lives 
are entrusted at the most important time of all for 
training, do not give themselves the least concern 
about this matter ! As I write, I turn aside to refer 
to a list of songs learnt last term by a fresh young 
voice which would willingly be trained for higher 
work. There is just one * sacred' song in the 
whole long list, and even that hardly such a one as 
the writer of the letter above quoted would care to 
sing in her fervent-spirited service of Christ. All 
the rest are harmless and pleasing, but only sug- 
gestive of the things of earth, the things of the 
world that is passing away; not one that might 
lead upward and onward, not one that might touch 
a careless heart to seek first the kingdom of God, 



©ur Dofces kept tor Jesus. 6i 

not one that might show forth the glory and praise 
of our King, not one that tells out His grace and 
love, not one that carries His comfort to His weary- 
ones or His joy to His loving ones. She is left to 
find and learn such songs as best she may ; those 
which she will sing with all the ease and force 
gained by good teaching of them are no help at all, 
but rather hindrance in anything like wish or at- 
tempt to * sing for Jesus. ' 

There is not the excuse that the songs of God's 
kingdom, songs which waft His own words to the 
souls around, would not have answered the teacher's 
purpose as well. God has taken care of that. He 
has not left Himself without witness in this direc- 
tion. He has given the most perfect melodies and 
the richest harmonies to be linked with His own 
words, and no singer can be trained beyond His 
wonderful provision in this way. I pray that even 
these poor words of mine may reach the consciences 
of some of those who have this responsibility, and 
lead them to be no longer unfaithful in this impor- 
tant matter, no longer giving this strangely divided 
service — training, as they profess to desire, the 
souls for God, and yet allowing the voices to be 
trained only for the world. 

But we must not run away with the idea that 
singing sacred songs and singing for Jesus are 
convertible terms. I know by sorrowful personal 
experience that it is very possible to sing a sacred 
song and not sing it for Jesus. It is easier to have 
one's portfolio all right than one's heart, and the 
repertory is more easily arranged than the motives. 



62 iftept for tbc iHbaster's Iflec. 

When we have taken our side, and the difficulties 
of indecision are consequently swept away, we have 
a new set of more subtle temptations to encounter. 
And although the Master will keep, the servant 
must watch and pray ; and it is through the watch- 
ing and the praying that the keeping will be effec- 
tual. We have, however, rather less excuse here 
than even elsewhere. For we never have to sing 
so very suddenly that we need be taken unawares. 
We have to think what to sing, and perhaps find 
the music, and the prelude has to be played, and all 
this gives quite enough time for us to recollect 
whose we are and whom we serve, and to arouse ta 
the watch. Quite enough, too, for quick, trustful 
prayer that our singing may be kept free from that, 
wretched self-seeking or even self- consciousness,, 
and kept entirely for Jesus. Our best and happiest 
singing will flow when there is a sweet, silent un- 
dercurrent of prayerful or praiseful communion 
with our Master all through the song. As for 
nervousness, I am quite sure this is the best anti- 
dote to that. 

On the other hand, it is quite possible to sing: 
for Jesus without singing a sacred song. Do not 
take an ell for the inch this seems to give, and run 
oif with the idea that it does not matter after all 
what you sing, so that you sing in a good frame of 
mind ! No such thing ! And the admission needs 
very careful guarding, and must not be wrested into 
an excuse for looking back to the world's songs. 
But cases may and do arise in which it may be right 
to gratify a weary father, or win a wayward brother, 
by trying to please them with music to which they 



®ur Voices kept for Jesus. 63 

will listen when they would not listen to the songs 
you would rather sing. There are cases in which 
this may be done most truly for the Lord's sake, 
and clearly under His guidance. 

Sometimes cases arise in which we can only say, 
' Neither know we whg,t to do, but our eyes are 
upon Thee. ' And when we honestly say that, de- 
pend upon it we shall find the promise true, ' I 
will guide thee with Mine eye. ' For God is faith- 
ful, -who will not suffer you to be tempted above 
that ye are able, but will, with the temptation, also 
make a way (Gr. tA/r way) to escape, that ye may 
be able to bear it. 

I do not know why it should be so, but it cer- 
tainly is a much rarer thing to find a young gentle- 
man singing for Jesus than a young lady, — a very 
rare thing to find one with a cultivated voice con- 
secrating it to the Master's use. I have met some 
who were not ashamed to speak for Him, to whom 
it never seemed even to occur to sing for Him. 
They would go and teach a Bible class one day, 
and the next they would be practising or perform- 
ing just the same songs as those who care nothing 
for Christ and His blood-bought salvation. They 
had left some things behind, but they had not left 
any of their old songs behind. They do not seem 
to think that being made new creatures in Christ 
Jesus had anything to do with this department of 
their lives. Nobody could gather whether they 
were on the Lord's side or not, as they stood and 
sang their neutral songs. The banner that was 
displayed in the class-room was furled in the draw- 
ing-room. Now, my friends, you who have or may 



64 . Ikept tor tbe ilRaster's "Clse* 

have far greater opportunities of displaying that 
banner than we womenkind, why should you be 
less brave and loyal than your sisters? We are 
weak and you are strong naturally, but recollect 
that want of decision always involves want of 
power, and compromising Christians are always 
weak Christians. You will never be mighty to the 
pulling down of strongholds while you have one 
foot in the enemy's camp, or on the supposed 
neutral ground, if such can exist (which I doubt), 
between the camps. You will never be a terror to 
the devil till you have enlisted every gift and 
faculty on the Lord's side. Here is a thing in 
which you may practically carry out the splendid 
motto, ' All for Jesus. ' You cannot be all for Him 
as long as your voice is not for Him. Which shall 
it be ? All for Him, or partly for Him ? Answer 
that to Him whom you call Master and Lord. 

When once this drawing-room question is settled, 
there is not much need to expatiate about other 
forms of singing for Jesus. As we have opportu- 
nity we shall be willing to do good with our pleasant 
gift in any way or place, and it is wonderful what 
nice opportunities He makes for us. Whether to 
one little sick child or to a thousand listeners, ac- 
cording to the powers and openings granted, we 
shall take our happy position amon^ those who 
minister with singing (i Chron. vi. 32). And in 
so far as we really do this unto the Lord, I am 
quite sure He gives the hundred-fold now in this 
present time more than all the showy songs or self- 
gratifying performances we may have left for His 
sake. As we steadily tread this part of the path of 



®ur U)olces ftept tor ^esus. 65 

consecration, we shall find the difficulties left be- 
hind, and the real pleasantness of the way reached, 
and it will be a delight to say to oneself, ' I cannot 
sing the old songs;' and though you have thought 
it quite enough to say, * With my song will I please 
my friends,' especially if they happen to be pleased 
with a mildly sacred song or two, you will strike a 
higher and happier, a richer and purer note, and 
say with David, * With my song will I praise Him.^ 
David said also, ' My lips shall greatly rejoice when 
fsing unto Thee, and ray soul, which Thou hast, 
redeemed.* And you will find that this comes true^ 

Singing for Jesus, our Saviour and King ; 

Singing for Jesus, the Lord whom we love ! 
All adoration we joyously bring, 

Longing to praise as they praise Him above. 

Singing for Jesus, our Master and Friend, 

Telling His love and His marvellous grace, — 

Love from eternity, love to the end, 

Love for the loveless, the sinful, and base. 

Singing for Jesus, and trying to win 

Many to love Him, and join in the song ; 

Calling the weary and wandering in, 
Rolling the chorus of gladness along. 

Singing for Jesus, our Life and our Light ; 

Singing for Him as we press to the mark; 
Singing for Him when the morning is bright; 

Singing, still singing, for Him in the dark ! 

Singing for Jesus, our Shepherd and Guide ; 

Singing for gladness of heart that He gives j 
Singing for wonder and praise that He died ; 

Singing for blessing and joy that He lives ! 



66 ikept for tbe /Hbaster's lllse. 

Singing for Jesus, oh, singing with joy; 

Thus will we praise Him, and tell out His love, 
Till He shall call us to brighter employ, 

Singing for Jesus for ever above. 



CHAPTER VI. 



®ur Xip0 ftept for Jeaua* 

* Keep rny lips, thai they may be 
Filled with messages from Thee.'' 

THE days are past for ever when we said, 
'Our lips are our own.' Now we know that 
they are not our own. 

And yet how many of my readers often have the 
miserable consciousness that they have * spoken un- 
advisedly with their lips'! How many pray, 'Keep 
the door of my lips,' when the very last thing they 
think of expecting is that they will he kept ! They 
deliberately make up their minds that hasty words, 
or foolish words, or exaggerated words, according 
to their respective temptations, must and will slip 
out of that door, and that it can't be helped. The 
extent of the real meaning of their prayer was 
merely that not quite so many might slip out. As 
their faith went no farther, the answer went no 
farther, and so the door was not kept. 

Do let us look the matter straight in the face. 
Either we have committed our lips to our Lord, or 



©ur 3L1P6 feept tor S^esus, 67 

we have not. This question must be settled first. 
If not, oh, do not let another hour pass ! Take 
them to Jesus, and ask Him to take them. 

But when you have committed them to Him, it 
comes to this, — is He able or is He not able to keep 
that which you have committed to Him? If He is 
not able, of course you may as well give up at 
once, for your own experience has abundantly 
proved that you are not able, so there is no help for 
you. But if He is able — nay, thank God there is 
no *{/"' on this side ! — say, rather, as He is able, 
where was this inevitable necessity of perpetual 
failure ? You have been fancying yourself virtually 
doomed and fated to it, and therefore you have 
gone on in it, while all the time His arm was not 
shortened that it could not save, but you have been 
limiting the Holy One of Israel. Honestly, now, 
have you trusted Him to keep your lips this day ? 
Trust necessarily implies expectation that what we 
have entrusted will be kept. If you have not ex- 
pected Him to keep, you have not trusted. You 
may have tried, and tried very hard, but you have 
not trusted^ and therefore you have not been kept, 
and your lips have been the snare of your soul 
(Prov. xviii. 7). 

Once I heard a beautiful prayer which I can never 
forget ; it was this : *■ Lord, take my lips, and speak 
through them ; take my mind, and think through 
it ; take my heart, and set it on fire.' And this is 
the way the Master keeps the lips of His servants, 
by so filling their hearts with His love that the out- 
flow cannot be unloving, by so filling their thoughts 
that the utterance cannot beun-Christ-like. There 



68 ikept tor tbc Master's lUse, 

must be filling before there can be pouring out ; 
and if there is filling, there must be pouring out, 
for He hath said, 'Out of the abundance of the 
heart the mouth speaketh. ' 

But I think we should look for something more 
direct and definite than this. We are not all called 
to be the King's ambassadors, but all who have 
heard the messages of salvation for themselves are 
called to be * the Lord's messengers,' and day by- 
day, as He gives us opportunity, we are to deliver 
/the Lord's message unto the people.' That mes- 
sage, as committed to Haggai, was, * I am with you, 
saith the Lord. ' Is there not work enough for any 
lifetime in unfolding and distributing that one mes- 
sage to His own people ? Then, for those who are 
still far off, we have that equally full message from 
our Lord to give out, which He has condensed for 
us into the one word, * Come !' 

It is a specially sweet part of His dealings with 
His messengers that He always gives us the message 
for ourselves first. It is what He has first told us 
in darkness — that is, in the secrecy of our own 
rooms, or at least of our own hearts — that He bids 
us speak in light. And so the more we sit at His 
feet and watch to see what He has to say to our- 
selves, the more we shall have to tell to others. He 
does not send us out with sealed despatches, which 
we know nothing about, and with which we have no 
concern. 

There seems a seven-fold sequence in His filling 
the lips of His messengers. First, they must be 
purified. The live coal from off the altar must be 
laid upon them, and He must say, * Lo, this hath 



©ur Xlp0 liept for S-esus* 69 

touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, 
and thy sin is purged. ' Then He will create the 
fruit of them, and this seems to be the great mes- 
sage of peace, * Peace to him that is far off, and to 
him that is near, saith the Lord ; and I will heal 
him' (see Isa. Ivii. 19). Then comes the prayer, 
*0 Lord, open Thou my lips,' and its sure fulfil- 
ment. For then come in the promises, * Behold, I 
have put My words in thy mouth,' and, * They shall 
withal be fitted in thy lips.* Then, of course, * the 
lips of the righteous feed many,' for the food is the 
Lord's own giving. Everything leads up to praise, 
and so we come next to * My mouth shall praise 
Thee with joyful lips, when I remember Thee.' 
And lest we should fancy that ' w/ien ' rather implies 
that it is not, or cannot be, exactly always, we find 
that the meditation of Jesus throws this added light 
upon it, * By Him, therefore, let us offer the sacri- 
fice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit 
of our lips, giving thanks to ' (margin, confessing) 
* His name.' 

Does it seem a coming down from the mount to 
glance at one of our King's commandments, which 
is specially needful and applicable to this matter of 
our lips being kept for Him ? ^ Watch and pray, 
that ye enter not into temptation.' None of His 
commands clash with or supersede one another. 
Trusting does not supers de watching ; it does but 
complete and effectuate it. Unwatchful trust is a 
delusion, and untrustful watching is in vain. There- 
fore let us not either wilfully or carelessly enter Knto 
temptation, whether of place, or person, or topic, 
which has any tendency to endanger the keeping of 



70 Ikept tor tbc Master's lUse* 

our lips for Jesus. Let us pray that grace may be 
more and more poured into our lips as it was into 
His, so that our speech may be alway with grace. 
May they be pure, and sweet, and lovely, even as 
* His lips, like lilies, dropping sweet-smelling 
myrrh.' 

We can hardly consider the keeping of our lips 
without recollecting that upon them, more than all 
else (though not exclusively of all else), depends 
that greatest of our responsibilities, our influence. 
We have no choice in the matter ; we cannot evade 
or avoid it ; and there is no more possibility of our 
limiting it, or even tracing its limits, than there is 
of setting a bound to the far-vibrating sound-waves, 
or watching their flow through the invisible air. 
Not one sentence that passes these lips of ours but 
must be an invisibly prolonged influence, not dying 
away into silence, but living away into the words 
and deeds of others. The thought would not be quite 
so oppressive if we could know what we have done 
and shall be continuing to do by what we have 
said. But we never can, as a matter of fact. We 
may trace it a little way, and get a glimpse of some 
results for good or evil ; but we never can see any 
more of it than we can see of a shooting star flash- 
ing through the night with a mxomentary revelation 
of one step of its strange path. Even if the next 
instant plunges it into apparent annihilation as it 
strikes the atmosphere of the earth, we know that 
it is not really so, but that its mysterious material 
and force must be added to the complicated ma- 
terials and forces with which it has come in con- 



©ur %ivB ftept for 5e6us. 71 

tact, with a modifying power none the less real be- 
cause it is beyond our ken. And this is not com- 
paring a great thing with a small, but a small thing 
with a great. For what is material force compared 
with moral force ? what are gases, and vapours, and 
elements, compared with souls and the eternity for 
which they are preparing? 

We all know that there is influence exerted by a 
person's mere presence, without the utterance of a 
single word. We are conscious of this every day. 
People seem to carry an atmosphere with them, 
which mzis^ be breathed by those whom they ap- 
proach. Some carry an atmosphere in which all 
unkind thoughts shrivel up and cannot grow into 
expression. Others carry one in which ' thoughts 
of Christ and things divine' never seem able to 
flourish. Have you not felt how a happy conversa- 
tion about the things we love best is checked, or 
even strangled, by the entrance of one who is not 
in sympathy? Outsiders have not a chance of 
ever really knowing what delightful intercourse we 
have one with another about these things, because 
their very presence chills and changes it. On the 
other hand, how another person's incoming fresh- 
ens and develops it and warms us all up, and seems 
to give us, without the least conscious effort, a sort 
of /i/^ / 

If even unconscious and involuntary influence is 
such a power, how much greater must it be when 
the recognised power of words is added ! 

It has often struck me as a matter of observa- 
tion, that open profession adds force to this influ- 
ence, on whichever side it weighs; and also that it 



72 Ifccpt tot tbe /iRaster's lUse* 

has the effect of making many a word and act, 
which might in other hands have been as nearly 
neutra-1 as anything can be, tell with by no means 
neutral tendency on the wrong side. The question 
of Eliphaz comes with great force when applied to 
one who desires or professes to be consecrated alto- 
gether, life and lips: * Should he reason with un- 
profitable talk, and with speeches wherewith one 
can do no good?^ There is our standard! Idle 
words, which might have fallen comparatively 
harmlessly from one who had never named the 
Name of Christ, may be a stumbling-block to in- 
quirers, a sanction to thoughtless juniors, and a 
grief to thoughtful seniors, when they come from 
lips which are professing to feed many. Even in- 
telligent talk on general subjects by such a one may 
be a chilling disappointment to some craving heart, 
which had indulged the hope of getting help, com- 
fort, or instruction in the things of God by listen- 
ing to the conversation. It may be a lost oppor- 
tunity of giving and gaining no one knows how 
much ! 

How well I recollect this disappointment to my- 
self, again and again, when a mere child ! In 
those early seeking days I never could understand 
why, sometimes, a good man whom I heard preach 
or speak as if he loved Christ very much, talked 
about all sorts of other things when he came back 
from church or missionary meeting. I did so wish he 
would have talked about the Saviour, whom I wanted, 
but had not found. It would have been so much 
more interesting even to the apparently thoughtless 
and merry little girl. How could he help it, I 



i 



©ut Xfps ftept for 3^e0us. 75 

wondered, if he cared for that Pearl of Great Price 
as I was sure I should care for it if I could only find 
it ! And oh, why didn't they ever talk to me about 
it, instead of about my lessons or their little girls 
at home ? They did not know how their conversa- 
tion was observed and compared with their sermon 
or speech, and how a hungry little soul went empty 
away from the supper table. 

The lips of younger Christians may cause, in their 
tarn, no less disappointment. One sorrowful lesson 
I can never forget ; and I will tell the story in hope 
that it may save others from causes of similar re- 
gret. During a summer visit just after I had left 
school, a class of girls about my own age came to 
me a few times for an hour's singing. It was very 
pleasant indeed, and the girls were delighted with 
the hymns. They listened to all I had to say about 
time and expression, and not with less attention to- 
the more shyly-ventured remarks about the words. 
Sometimes I accompanied them afterwards down 
the avenue; and whenever I met any of them [ had 
smiles and plenty of kindly words for each, which 
they seemed to appreciate immensely. A few years 
afterwards I sat by the bedside of one of these girls 
— the most gifted of them all with both heart and 
head. She had been led by a wonderful way, and 
through long and deep suffering, into far clearer 
light than I enjoyed, and had witnessed for Christ 
in more ways than one, and far more brightly than 
I had ever done. She told me how sorrowfully and 
eagerly she was seeking Jesus at the time of those 
singing classes. And I never knew it, because 
I never asked, and she was too shy to speak first I 



74 Ikcpt tor tbe Master's TUse. 

But she told me more, and every word was a pang 
to me, — how she used to linger in the avenue on 
those summer evenings, longing that I would speak 
to her about the Saviour ; how she hoped, week after 
week, that I would just stretch out a hand to help 
her, just say one little word that might be God's 
message of peace to her, instead of the pleasant, 
general remarks about the nice hymns and tunes 
And I never did ! And she went on for months, I 
think for years, after, without the light and gladness 
which it might have been my privilege to bring to 
her life. God chose other means, for the souls that 
He has given to Christ cannot be lost because of 
the unfaithfulness of a human instrument. But she 
said, and the words often ring in my ears when I am 
tempted to let an opportunity slip, ' Ah, Miss F., I 
ought to have been yours /' 

Yes, it is true enough that we should show forth 
His praise not only with our lips, but in our lives ; 
but with very many Christians the other side of the 
prayer wants praying— they want rousing up even to 
wish to show it forth not only in their lives but with 
their lips. I wonder how many, even of those who 
read this, really pray, * O Lord, open Thou 7n-y lips, 
and my mouth shall show forth Thy praise.' 

And when opened, oh, how much one does want 
to have them so kept for Jesus that He may be free 
to make the most of them, not letting them render 
second-rate and indirect service when they might be 
doing direct and first-rate service to His cause and 
kingdom ! It is terrible how much less is done for 
Him than might be done, in consequence of the 
specious notion that if what we are doing or saying 



©ur 3Lfp5 ftept tot 5e6U6. 75 

is not bad, we are doing good in a certain way, and 
therefore may be quite easy about it. We should 
think a man rather foolish if he went on doing work 
which earned five shillings a week, when he might 
just as well do work in the same establishment and 
under the same master which would bring him in 
five pounds a week. But we should pronounce him 
shamefully dishonest and dishonourable if he accept- 
ed such handsome wages as the five pounds, and yet 
ehose to do work worth only five shillings, excusing 
himself by saying that it was work all the same, and 
somebody had better do it. Do we not act some- 
thing like this when we take the lower standard, 
and spend our strength in just making ourselves 
agreeable and pleasant, creating a general good im- 
pression in favour of religion, showing that we can 
be all things to all men, and that one who is sup- 
posed to be a citizen of the other world can be very 
well up in all that concerns this world ? This may 
be good, but is there nothing better? What does it 
profit if we do make this favourable impression on 
an outsider, if we go no farther and do not use the 
influence gained to bring him right inside the fold, 
inside the only ark of safety ? People are not con- 
verted by this sort of work ; at any rate, / never 
met or heard of any one. ' He thinks it better for 
his quiet influence to tell ! ' said an affectionately 
excusing relative of one who had plenty of special 
opportunities of soul-winning, if he had only used 
his lips as well as his life for his Master. * And how 
many souls have been converted to God by his 
" quiet influence " all these years ? ' was my reply. 
And to that there was no answer ! For the silent 



76 Ikept tor tbe ISsnstct'e lase. 

shining was all very beautiful in theory, but not one 
of the many souls placed specially under his in- 
fluence had been known to be brought out of dark- 
ness into marvellous light. If they had, they must 
have been known, for such light can't help being 
seen. 

When one has even a glimmer of the tremendous 
difference between having Christ and being without 
Christ ; when one gets but one shuddering glimpse 
of what eternity is, and of what it must mean, as 
well as what it may mean, without Christ; when 
one gets but a flash of realization of the tremendous 
fact that all these neighbours of ours, rich and poor 
alike,' will hav^ to spend that eternity either with 
Him or without Him, — it is hard, very hard indeed, 
to understand how a man or woman can believe 
these things at all, and make no effort for anything 
beyond the temporal elevation of those around, 
sometimes not even beyond their amusements ! 
* People must have entertainment,' they urge. I do 
not find that ptusf in the Bible, but I do find, * We 
mus^ all stand before the judgment- seat of Christ.' 
And if you have any sort of belief in that, how can 
you care to use those lips of yours, which might be 
a fountain of life to the dying souls before you, 
merely to * entertain ' them at your penny reading 
or other entertainment? As you sow, so you reap. 
The amusing paper is read, or the lively ballad re- 
cited, or the popular song sung, and you reap your 
harvest of laughter or applause, and of complacence 
at your success in * entertaining ' the people. And 
there it ends, when you might have sown words 
from which you and they should reap fruit unto life 



®ur 3Ltps hept tor ^csns* 77 

eternal. Is this worthy work for one who has been 
bought with such a price that he must say, 



' Love so amazing, so divine, 
Demands my soul, my hfe, my 



air? 



So far from yielding ' all ' to that rightful demand 
of amazing love, he does not even yield the fruit of 
his lips to it, much less the lips themselves. I can- 
not refrain from adding, that even this lower aim. 
oS ' entertaining ' is by no means so appreciated as 
is supposed. As a cottager of no more than aver- 
age sense and intelligence remarked, * It was all so^ 
trifling at the reading; I wish gentlefolks would 
believe that poor people like something better than. 
what's just to make them laugh.' After all, nothing 
really pays like direct, straightforward, uncompro- 
mising words about God and His works and word. 
Nothing else ever made a man say, as a poor Irish- 
man did when he heard the Good News for the first 
time, ' Thank ye, sir; you've taken the hunger off 
us to-day ! ' 

Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord ; 
what about ours ? Well, they are all uttered before 
the Lord in one sense, whether we will or no ; for 
there is not a word in my tongue, but lo. Thou, O 
Lord, knowest it altogether ! How solemn is this 
thought, but how sweet does it become when our 
words are uttered consciously before the Lord as 
we walk in the light .of His perpetual presence ! 
Oh that we may so walk, that we may so speak, with 
kept feet and kept lips, trustfully praying, * Let the 
meditation of my heart and the words of my mouth 



78 Ikcpt for tbc ^astct's inse. 

be alway acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, my 
Strength and my Redeemer ! ' 

Bearing in mind that it is not only the words 
which pass their lightly-hinged portal, but our lit- 
eral lips which are to be kept for Jesus, it cannot 
be out of place, before closing this chapter, to sug- 
gest that they open both ways. What passes in 
should surely be considered as well as what passes 
out. And very many of us are beginning to see 
that the command, * Whether ye eat or drink, or 
whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God,' is 
not fully obeyed when we drink, merely because 
we like it, what is the very greatest obstacle to that 
glory in this realm of England. What matter that 
we prefer taking it in a more refined form, if the 
thing itself is daily and actively and mightily work- 
ing misery, and crime, and death, and destruction 
to thousands, till the cry thereof seems as if it 
must pierce the very heavens ! And so it does — 
sooner, a great deal, than it pierces the walls of our 
comfortable dining-room ! I only say here, you 
who have said, *Take my lips,' stop and repeat 
that prayer next time you put that to your lips 
which is binding men and women hand and foot, 
and delivering them over, helpless, to Satan ! Let 
those words pass once more from your heart out 
through your lips, and I do not think you will feel 
comfortable in letting the means of such infernal 
work pass in through them.. 



®ur Silver anD (5olO ftept for ^C6\X6* 79 



CHAPTER VII. 



®ur Silver anb (5ol& Rept for 3e0U0. 

' A'erp my silver and my gold ; 
Not a mite would I withhold^ 

"TPHE silver and the gold is Mine, saith the 

A Lord of Hosts.' Yes, every coin we have 

is literally our * Lord's money.' Simple belief of 

this fact is the stepping-stone to full consecration of 

what He has given us, whether much or little. 

' Then you mean to say we are never to spend 
anything on ourselves ?' Not so. Another fact 
must be considered, — the fact that our Lord has 
given us our bodies as a special personal charge, 
and that we are responsible for keeping these bodies, 
according to the means given and the work re- 
quired, in working order for Him. This is part of 
our ' own work. ' A master entrusts a workman 
with a delicate machine, with which his appointed 
work is to be done. He also provides him with a sum 
of money with which he is to procure all that may be 
necessary for keeping the machine in thorough repair. 
Is it not obvious that it is the man's distinct duty 
to see to this faithfully ? Would he not be failing in 



So ikept for tbc /iBaster's 'Clse. 

duty if he chose to spend it all on something for 
somebody else's work, or on a present for his mas- 
ter, fancying that would please him better, while 
the machine is creaking and wearing for want of a 
little oil, or working badly for want of a new band 
or screw ? Just so, we are to spend what is really 
needful on ourselves, because it is our charge to do 
so ; but not for ourselves, because we are not our 
own, but our Master's. He who knoweth our frame, 
knows its needs of rest and medicine, food and 
clothing; and the procuring of these for our own 
entrusted bodies should be done just as much ^ for 
Jesus ' as the greater pleasure of procuring them for 
«ome one else. Therefore there need be no quib- 
bling over the assertion that consecration is not 
real and complete while we are looking upon a 
single shilling as our own to do what we like with. 
Also the principle is exactly the same, whether we 
are spending pence or pounds; it is our Lord's 
money, and must not be spent without reference to 
Him. 

When we have asked Him to take, and continually 
trust Him to keep our money, ' shopping ' becomes 
a different thing. We look up to our Lord for 
guidance to lay out His money prudently and 
rightly, and as He would have us lay it out. The 
gift or garment is selected consciously under His 
eye, and with conscious reference to Him as our 
own dear Master, for whose sake we shall give it, 
or in whose service we shall wear it, and whose own 
silver or gold we shall pay for it, and then it is all 
right. 

But have you found out that it is one of the se- 



®ur Silver anO <5olD ftept for ^esus. 8i 

crets of the Lord, that when any of His dear chil- 
dren turn aside a little bit after having once entered 
the blessed path of true and conscious consecra- 
tion, He is sure to send them some little punish- 
ment ? He will not let us go back without a sharp, 
even if quite secret, reminder. Go and spend ever 
such a little without reference to Him after you have 
once pledged the silver and gold entirely to Him, 
and see if you are not in some way rebuked for it ! 
VCTy often by being permitted to find that you have 
made a mistake in your purchase, or that in some 
way it does not prosper. If you * observe these 
things,' you will find that the more closely we are 
walking with our Lord, the more immediate and 
unmistakeable will be His gracious rebukes when we 
swerve in any detail of the full consecration to 
which He has called us. And if you have already 
experienced and recognised this part of His per- 
sonal dealing with us, you will know also how we 
love and bless Him for it. 

Ther§ is always a danger that just because we say 
^ all,' we may practically fall shorter than if we had 
only said ' some,' but said it very definitely. God 
recognises this, and provides against it in many de- 
partments. For instance, though our time is to be 
* all * for Him, yet He solemnly sets apart the one 
day in seven which is to be specially for Him. 
Those who think they know better than God, and 
profess that every day is a Sabbath, little know 
what floodgates of temptation they are opening by 
being so very wise above what is written. God 
knows best, and that should be quite enough for 



82 IRept for tbe ;fllba0tec'0 IHse. 

every loyal heart. So, as to money, though we 
place it all at our Lord's disposal, and rejoice to 
spend it all for Him directly or indirectly, yet I am 
quite certain it is a great help and safeguard, and, 
what is more, a matter of simple obedience to the 
spirit of His commands, to set aside a definite and 
regular proportion of our income or receipts for 
His direct service. It is a great mistake to suppose 
that the law of giving the tenth to God is merely 
Levitical. ' Search and look ' for yourselves, and 
you will find that it is, like the Sabbath, a far older 
rule, running all through the Bible,* and endorsed, 
not abrogated, by Christ Himself. For, speaking 
of tithes. He said, ' These ought ye to have done, 
and not to leave the other undone.' To dedicate the 
tenth of whatever we have is mere duty; charity 
begins beyond it ; free-will offerings and thank- 
offerings beyond that again. 

First-fruits, also, should be thus specially set 
apart. This, too, we find running all through the 
Bible. There is a tacit appeal to our gratitude in 
the suggestion of them, — the very word implies 
bounty received and bounty in prospect, bringing 

* the first of the first-fruits into the house of the Lord 
thy God,' was like ' saying grace ' for all the plenty 
He was going to bestow on the faithful Israelite. 
Something of gladness, too, seems always implied. 

* The day of the first-fruits ' was to be a day of re- 
joicing (compare Num. xxviii. 26 with Deut. xvi. 

* See Gen. xiv. 20, xxviii. 22 ; Lev. xxvii. 30, 32 ; Num. 
xviii. 21; Deut. xiv. 22; 2 Chron. xxxi. 5, 6, 12; Neh. x. 37^ 
xii. 44, xiii. 12 ; Mai. iii. 8, lo; Matt, xxiii. 23 ; Luke xi. 42 ; 
I Cor. xvi. 2 ; Heb. vii. 8. 



©ur Silver anD (3olO ftcpt for 5esu0» 83 

10, 11). There is also an appeal to loyalty: we 
are comihanded to honour the Lord with the first- 
fruits of all our increase. And that is the way 
to prosper, for the next word is, ^So shall thy 
barns be filled with plenty. ' The friend who first 
called my attention to this command, said that the 
setting apart first-fruits— making a proportion for 
God's work a first charge upon the income — 
always seemed to bring a blessing on the rest, 
an^ that since this had been systematically done, it 
actually seemed to go farther than when not thus 
lessened. 

Presenting our first-fruits should be a peculiarly 
delightful act, as they are themselves the emblem 
of our consecrated relationship to God. For of 
His own will begat He us by the word of truth, 
that we should be a kind of first-fruits of His 
creatures. How sweet and hallowed and richly 
emblematic our little acts of obedience in this mat- 
ter become, when we throw this light upon them ! 
And how blessedly they may remind us of the 
heavenly company, singing, as it were, a new song 
before the throne ; for they are the first-fruits unto 
God and to the Lamb. 

Perhaps we shall find no better plan of detailed 
and systematic setting apart than the New Testa- 
ment one : ' Upon the first day of the week let 
every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath 
prospered him.' The very act of literally fulfilling 
this apostolic command seems to bring a blessing 
with it, as all simple obedience does. I wish, dear 
friends, you would try it ! You will find it a sweet 
reminder on His own day of this part of your con- 



84 1Rcpt for tbe jflftaeter's lllsc. 

secration. You will find it an immense help in 
making the most of your little charities. The 
regular inflow will guide the outflow, and ensure 
your always having something for any sudden call 
for your Master's poor or your Master's cause. Do 
not say you are * afraid you could not keep to it.' 
What has a consecrated life to do with being 
'■ afraid ' ? Some of us could tell of such sweet and 
singular lessons of trust in this matter, that they 
are written in golden letters of love on our memo- 
ries. Of course there will be trials of our faith in 
this, as well as in everything else. But every trial 
of our faith is but a trial of His faithfulness, and 
is 'much more precious than gold which per- 
isheth.' 

' What about self-denial? ' some reader will say. 
Consecration does not supersede this, but trans- 
figures it. Literally, a consecrated life is and must 
be a life of denial of self. But all the effort and 
pain of it is changed into very delight. We love 
our Master ; we know, surely and absolutely, that 
He is listening and watching our every word and 
way, and that He has called us to the privilege of 
walking 'worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing.' 
And in so far as this is a reality to us, the identical 
things which are still %€ii-denial in one sense, be- 
come actual soli-delight in another. It may be 
self-denial to us to turn away from something 
within reach of our purse which it would be very 
convenient or pleasant to possess^. But if the 
Master lifted the veil, and revealed Himself stand- 
ing at our side, and let us hear His audible voice 
asking us to reserve the price of it for His treasury. 



©ur Silver anD (5olD ftept tor 5esus. 85 

should we talk about self-denial then ? Should we 
not be utterly ashamed to think of it? or rather, 
should we, for one instant, think about self or self- 
denial at all ? Would it not be an unimaginable 
joy to do what He asked us to do with that money ? 
But as long as His own unchangeable promise 
stands written in His word for us, ' Lo, I am with 
you alway,'' we may be sure that He is with us, and 
that His eye is as certainly on our opened or half- 
opened purse as it was on the treasury, when He 
saT over against it and saw the two mites cast in. 
So let us do our shopping * as seeing Him who is 
invisible.' 

It is important to remember that there is no 
much or little in God's sight, except as relatively 
to our means and willingness. ' For if there be 
first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that 
a man hath, and not according to that he hath 
not. ' He knows what we have not, as well as what 
we have. He knows all about the low wages in 
one sphere, and the small allowance, or the fixed 
income with rising prices in another. And it is not 
a question of paying to God what can be screwed 
out of these, but of giving Him all, and then hold- 
ing all at His disposal, and taking His orders about 
the disposal of all. 

But I do not see at all how self-indulgence and 
needless extravagance can possibly co-exist with 
true consecration. If we really never do go with- 
out dmyihmg for the Lord's sake, but, just because 
He has graciously given us means, always supply 
for ourselves not only every need but ' every 
notion,' I think it is high time we looked into 



86 ikept for tbe /Bbastcr's *Cl6e» 

the matter before God. Why should only those 
who have limited means have the privilege of offer- 
ing to their Lord that which has really cost them 
something to offer ? Observe, it is not merely 
going without something we would naturally like to 
have or do, but going without it for Jesus' sake. 
Not, * I will go without it, because, after all, I can't 
very well afford it ;* or, * because I really ought to 
subscribe to so and so;' or, * because I daresay I 
shall be glad I have not spent the money : ' but, * I 
will do without it, because I do want to do a little 
more for Him who so loves me — ^just that much 
more than I could do if I did this other thing.' I 
fancy this is more often the heart language of those 
who have to cut and contrive, than of those who 
are able to give liberally without any cutting and 
contriving at all. The very abundance of God's 
good gifts too often hinders from the privilege and 
delight of really doing without something super- 
fluous or comfortable or usual, that they may give 
just that much more to their Lord. What a pity ! 
The following quotation may (I hope it will), 
touch some conscience : — * A gentleman once told 
us that his wine bill was ;z{^ioo a year — more than 
enough to keep a Scripture reader always at work 
in some populous district. And it is one of the 
countless advantages, of total abstinence that it at 
once sets free a certain amount of money for such 
work. Smoking, too, is a habit not only injuri- 
ous to the health in a vast majority of cases, and, 
to our mind, very unbecoming in a *' temple of the 
Holy Ghost," but also one which squanders money 
which might be used for the Lord. Expenses in 



©ur Silver anD (3ol& Tiept for ^csns. 87 

dress might in most people be curtailed ; expensive 
tastes should be denied ; and simplicity in all habits 
of life should be a mark of the followers of Him 
who had not where to lay His head.' 

And again : ' The self-indulgence of wealthy 
Christians, who might largely support the Lord's 
work with what they lavish upon their houses, their 
tables, or their personal expenditure, is very sad to 
see.'* 

Here the question of jewellery seems to come in. 
Perhaps it was an instance of the gradual showing 
of the details of consecration, illustrated on page 
21, but I will confess that when I wrote ' Take my 
silver and my gold,' it never dawned on me that 
anything was included beyond the coin of the 
realm ! But the Lord ' leads on softly,' and a good 
many of us have been shown some capital bits of 
unenclosed but easily enclosable ground, which 
have yielded 'pleasant fruit.' Yes, very pleasant 
fruit ! It is wonderfully nice to light upon some- 
thing that we really never thought of as a possible 
gift to our Lord, and just to give it, straight away, 
to Him. I do not press the matter, but I do ask my 
lady friends to give it fair and candid and prayer- 
ful consideration. Which do you really care most 
about — a diamond on your finger, or a star in the 
Redeemer's kingdom, shining for ever and ever? 
That is what it comes to, and there I leave it. 

On the other hand, it is very possible to be fairly 
faithful in much, and yet unfaithful in that which 
is least. We may have thought about our gold ajnd 

*Christian Progress, vol. iii. pp. 25, 26. 



88 ikept for tbe /iRaster's lUse* 

silver, and yet have been altogether thoughtless 
about our rubbish ! Some have a habit of hoarding 
away old garments, 'pieces,* remnants, and odds 
and ends generally, under the idea that they ' will 
come in useful some day ;' very likely setting it up 
as a kind of mild virtue, backed by that noxious 
old saying, ' Keep it by you seven years, and you'll 
find a use for it.' And so the shabby things get 
shabbier, and moth and dust doth corrupt, and 
the drawers and places get choked and crowded ; 
and meanwhile all this that is sheer rubbish to 
you might be made useful at once, to a degree 
beyond what you would guess, to some poor 
person. 

It would be a nice variety for the clever fingers 
of a lady's maid to be set to work to do up old 
things; or some tidy woman may be found in al- 
most every locality who knows how to contrive 
children's things out of what seems to you only fit 
for the rag-bag, either for her own little ones or 
those of her neighbours. 

My sister trimmed 70 or 80 hats every spring for 
several years with the contents of friends' rubbish 
drawers, thus relieving dozens of poor mothers who 
liked their children to ' go tidy on Sunday,' and 
also keeping down finery in her Sunday school. 
Those who literally fulfilled her request for ' rub- 
bish ' used to marvel at the results. 

Little scraps of carpet, torn old curtains, faded 
blinds, and all such gear, go a wonderfully long 
way towards making poor cottagers and old or sick 
people comfortable. I never saw anything in this 
* rubbish ' line yet that could not be turned to good 



®ur Silver anD (3olD ftept tor Jcem. 89 

account somehow, with a little considering of the 
poor and their discomforts. 

I wish my lady reader would just leave this book 
now, and go straight up-stairs and have a good 
rummage at once, and see what can be thus cleared 
out. If she does not know the right recipients at 
first hand, let her send it off to the nearest working 
clergyman's wife, and see how gratefully it will be 
received ! For it is a great trial to workers among 
the poor not to be able to supply the needs they 
^ee. Such supplies are far more useful than treble 
their small money value. 

Just a word of earnest pleading for needs, closely 
veiled, but very sore, which might be wonderfully 
lightened if this wardrobe over-hauling were system- 
atic and faithful. There are hundreds of poor 
clergymen's families to whom a few old garments 
or any household oddments are as great a charity 
as to any of the poor under their charge. There 
are two Societies for aiding these with such gifts, 
under initials which are explained in the Reports ; 
the P.P.C. Society — Secretary, Miss Breay, Batten- 
hall Place, Worcester ; and the A.F.D. Society — Sec- 
retary, Miss Hinton, 4 York Place, Clifton. I only 
ask my lady friends to send for a report to either of 
these devoted secretaries ; and if their hearts are not 
so touched by the cases of brave and bitter need that 
they go forthwith to wardrobes and drawers to see 
what can be spared and sent, they are colder and 
harder than I give Englishwomen credit for. 

There is no bondage in consecration. The two 
things are opposites, and cannot co-exist, much less 



90 IRcpt for tbe /Iftaster's lllee, 

mingle. We should suspect our consecration, and 
come afresh to our great Counsellor about it, di- 
rectly we have any sense of bondage. As long as 
we have an unacknowledged feeling of fidget about 
our account-book, and a smothered wondering what 
and how much we ' ought' to give, and a hushed- 
up wishing the thing had not been put quite so 
strongly before us, depend upon it we have not said 
unreservedly, '■ Take my silver and my gold. ' And 
how can the Lord keep what He has not been sin- 
cerely asked to take ? 

Ah ! if we had stood at the foot of the Cross, and 
watched the tremendous payment of our redemp- 
tion with the precious blood of Christ, — if we had 
seen that awful price told out, drop by drop, from 
His own dear patient brow and torn hands and 
feet, till it was ALL paid, and the central word of 
eternity was uttered, ^ It is finished ! ' should we not 
have been ready to say, ^Noi a mite will I withhold t* 

My Jewels. 

* Shall I hold them back — my jewels ? 

Time has travelled many a day 
Since I laid them by for ever, 

Safely locking them away ; 
And I thought them yielded wholly, 

When I dared no longer wear 
Gems contrasting, oh, so sadly ! 

With the adorning I would bear. 

* Shall I keep them still — my jewels ? 

Shall I, can I yet withhold 

From that living, loving Saviour 

Aught of silver or of gold ? 



©ur ITntellccts ftcpt for ^esus* 91 

Gold so needed, that His gospel 

May resound from sea to sea ; 
Can I know Christ's service lacketh, 

Yet forget His " unto Me" ! 

* No ; I lay them down — my jewels, 
Truly on the altar now. 
Stay ! I see a vision passing 
Of a gem-encircled brow : 
Heavenly treasure worn by Jesus, 

Souls won through my gift outpoured ; 
Freely, gladly I will offer 

Jewels thus to crown my Lord ! ' 

From Woman's Work. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



®ur llntellects ftept for Jesus. 

' Keep my intellect^ and use 
Every power as Thou shalt choose.^ 

THERE are two distinct sets of temptations 
which assail those who have, or think they 
have, rather less, and those who have, or think they 
have, rather more than an average share of intel- 
lect ; while those who have neither less nor more 
are generally open in some degree to both. The 
refuge and very present help from both is the same. 
The intellect, whether great or small, which is com- 
mitted to the Lord's keeping, will be kept and will 
be used by Him. 



92 ftcpt tor the Master's "Qlge. 

The former class are tempted to think themselves 
excused from effort to cultivate and use their small 
intellectual gifts; to suppose they cannot or need 
not seek to win souls, because they are not so clever 
and apt in speech as So-and-so ; to attribute to want 
of gift what is really want of grace ; to hide the one 
talent because it is not five. Let me throw out a 
thought or two fot these. 

Which is greatest, gifts or grace? Giffs are 
given ' to every man according to his several 
ability.' That is, we have just as much given as 
God knows we are able to use, and what He knows 
we can best use for Him. ' But unto every one of us 
is given grace according to the measure of the gift 
of Christ. ' Claiming and using that royal measure 
of grace, you may, and can, and will do more for 
God than the mightiest intellect in the world with- 
out it. For which, in the clear light of His Word, 
is likely to be most effectual, the natural ability 
which at its best and fullest, without Christ, * can 
do nothing^ (observe and believe that word!), or 
the grace of our Almighty God and the power of 
the Holy Ghost, which is as free to you as it ever 
was to any one? 

If you are responsible for making use of your 
limited gift, are you not equally responsible for 
making use of the grace and power which are to be 
had for the asking, which are already yours in 
Christ, and which are not limited ? 

Also, do you not see that when there are great 
natural gifts, people give the credit to them^ instead 
of to the grace which alone did the real work, arid 
thus God is defrauded of the glory? So that, to 



©ur Ifntellccte ftept for ^csus. 93 

say it reverently, God can get more glory out of a 
feeble instrument, because then it is more obvious 
that the excellency of the power is of God and not 
of us. Will you not henceforth say, * Most gladly, 
therefore, will I rather glory in my infirmities, that 
the power of Christ may rest upon me ' ? 

Don't you really believe that the Holy Spirit is 
just as able to draw a soul to Jesus, if He will, by 
your whisper of the one word, 'Come,^ as by an 
-eloquent sermon an hour long ? / do ! At the 
same time, as it is evidently God's way to work 
through these intellects of ours, we have no more 
right to expect Him to use a mind which we are 
wilfully neglecting, and taking no pains whatever to 
fit for His use, than I should have to expect you to 
write a beautiful inscription with my pen, if I would 
not take the trouble to wipe it and mend it. 

The latter class are tempted to rely on their 
natural gifts, and to act and speak in their own 
strength ; to go on too fast, without really looking 
up at every step, and for every word ; to spend 
their Lord's time in polishing up their intellects, 
nominally for the sake of influence and power, and 
so forth, while really, down at the bottom, it is for the 
sake of the keen enjoyment of the process; and 
perhaps, most of all, to spend the strength of these 
intellects ' for that which doth not profit,' in yield- 
ing to the specious snare of reading clever books 
'on both sides,' and eating deliberately of the tree 
of the knowledge of good and evil. 

The mere mention of these temptations should 
be sufficient appeal to conscience. If consecration 
is to be a reality anywhere, should it not be in the 



94 Ikept for tbe Master's luge* 

very thing which you own as an extra gift from 
God, and which is evidently closest, so to speak, to 
His direct action, spirit upon spirit? And if the 
very strength of your intellect has been your weak- 
ness, will you not entreat Him to keep it hence- 
forth really and entirely for Himself? It is so good 
of Him to have given you something to lay at His 
feet ; shall not this goodness lead you to lay it all 
there, and never hanker after taking it back for 
yourself or the world ? Do you not feel that in 
very proportion to the gift you need the special 
keeping of it? He may lead you by away you 
know not in the matter ; very likely He will show 
you that you must be willing to be a fool for His 
sake first, before He will condescend to use you 
much for His glory. Will you look up into His 
face and say, ' Not willing ' ? 

He who made every power can use every power 
— memory, judgment, imagination, quickness of ap- 
prehension or insight ; specialties of musical, poeti- 
cal, oratorical, or artistic faculty ; special tastes for 
reasoning, philosophy, history, natural science, or 
natural history, — all these may be dedicated to Him, 
sanctified by Him, and used by Him. Whatever 
He has given, He will use, if we will let Him. 
Often, in the most unexpected ways, and at the 
most unexpected turns, something read or acquired 
long ago suddenly comes into use. We cannot fore- 
see what will thus 'come in useful'; but He knew, 
when He guided us to learn it, what it would be 
wanted for in His service. So may we not ask Him 
to bring His perfect foreknowledge to bear on all 



®ur "ffnteUects ftept tor ^csus. 95 

our mental training and storing? to guide us to 
read or study exactly what He knows there will be use 
for in the work to which He has called or will call us ? 

Nothing is more practically perplexing to a young 
Christian, whose preparation time is not quite over, 
or perhaps painfully limited, than to know what is 
most worth studying, what is really the best invest- 
ment of the golden hours, while yet the time is not 
c«me for the field of active work to be fully entered, 
and the ' thoroughly furnishing ' of the mind is the 
evident path of present duty. Is not His name 
called 'Counsellor'? and will He not be faithful to 
the promise of His name in this, as well as in all 
else? 

The same applies to every subsequent stage. Only 
let us be perfectly clear about the principle that 
our intellect is not our own, either to cultivate, or 
to use, or to enjoy, and that Jesus Christ is our real 
and ever-present Counsellor, and then there will be 
no more worry about what to read and how much 
to read, and whether to keep up one's accomplish- 
ments, or one's languages, or one's ^ologies' ! If 
the Master has need of them. He will show us ; and 
if He has not, what need have we of them ? If we 
go forward without His leading,we may throw away 
some talent, or let it get too rusty for use, which 
would have been most valuable when other circum- 
stances arose or different work was given. We must 
not think that ' keeping ' means not using at all ! 
What we want is to have all our powers kept for 
His use. 

In this they will probably find far higher develop- 
ment than in any other sort of use. I know cases 



96 fjept for tbe /Iftaster's *ai6e. 

in which the effect of real consecration on mere 
mental development has been obvious and surprising 
to all around. Yet it is only a confirmation of what 
I believe to be a great principle, viz. that the Lord 
makes the most of whatever is unreservedly sur- 
rendered to Him. There will always be plenty of 
waste in what we try to cut out for ourselves. But 
He wastes no material ! 



CHAPTER IX. 



®ur mssXQ l;ept for Jesue. 

^Keep my will, oh, keep it Thine, 
For Xt is no longer mine.^ 

PERHAPS there is no point in which expecta- 
tion has been so limited by experience as this. 
We believe God is able to do for us just so much as 
He has already done, and no more. We take it for 
granted a line must be drawn somewhere; and so 
we choose to draw it where experience ends, and 
faith would have to begin. Even if we have trusted 
and proved Him as to keeping our members and 
our minds, faith fails when we would go deeper and 
say, * Keep my will ! ' And yet the only reason we 
have to give is, that though we have asked Him to 
take our will, we do not exactly find that it is al- 
together His, but that self-will cropis up again and 



©uc Mills ftept for 5e6us» 97 

again. And whatever flaw there might be in this 
argument, we think the matter is quite settled by 
the fact that some whom we rightly esteem, and 
who are far better than ourselves, have the same 
experience, and do not even seem to think it right 
to hope for anything better. That is conclusive ! 
And the result of this, as of every other faithless 
conclusion, is either discouragement and depres- 
sion, or, still worse, acquiescence in an unyielded 
Tvill, as something that can't be helped. 

Now let us turn from our thoughts to God's 
thoughts. Verily, they are not as ours ! He says 
He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all 
that we ask or think. Apply this here. We ask 
Him to take our wills and make them His. Does 
He or does He not mean what He says ? and, if He 
does, should we not trust Him to do this thing that 
we have asked and longed for, and not less but 
more ? ' Is anything too hard for the Lord ? ' 
' Hath He said, and shall He not do it ? ' and if He 
gives us faith to believe that we have the petition 
that we desired of Him, and with it the unspeak- 
able rest of leaning our will wholly upon His love, 
what ground have we for imagining that this is 
necessarily to be a mere fleeting shadow, which is 
hardly to last an hour, but is necessarily to be ex- 
hausted ere the next breath of trial or temptation 
comes? Does He mock our longing by acting as I 
have seen an older person act to a child, by accept- 
ing some trifling gift of no intrinsic value, just to 
please the little one, and then throwing it away as 
soon as the child's attention is diverted ? Is not 
the taking rather the pledge of the keeping, if we 



98 IRept tor tbe Master's lUse, 

will but entrust Him fearlessly with it ? We give 
Him no opportunity, so to speak, of proving His 
faithfulness to this great promise, because we will 
not fulfil the condition of reception, believing it. 
But we readily enough believe instead all that we 
hear of the unsatisfactory experience of others ! Or, 
start from another word. Job said, * I know that 
Thou canst do everything,' and we turn round and 
say, ' Oh yes, everything except keeping my will ! ' 
Dare we add, * And I know that Thou canst not do 
that ' ? Yet that is what is said every day, only in 
other words; and if not said aloud, it is said in 
faithless hearts, and God hears it. What does 
* Almighty ' mean, if it does not mean, as we teach 
our little children, * able to do everything^ ? 

We have asked this great thing many a time, 
without, perhaps, realizing how great a petition we 
were singing, in the old morning hymn, * Guard 
my first springs of thought and will ! ' That goes 
to the root of the matter, only it implies that the 
will has been already surrendered to Him, that it 
may be wholly kept and guarded. 

It may be that we have not sufficiently realized 
the sin of the only alternative. Our wills belong 
either to self or to God. It may seem a small and 
rather excusable sin in man's sight to be self-willed, 
but see in what a category of iniquity God puts it ! 
{2 Pet. ii. 10). And certainly we are without ex- 
cuse when we have such a promise to go upon as, 
^ It is God that worketh in you both to will and to 
do of His pleasure.' How splendidly this meets our 
very deepest helplessness, — ' worketh in you to 
will!^ Oh, let us pray for ourselves and for each 



©ur IKHilla ftept for S^csus. 99 

other, that we may know ' what is the exceeding 
greatness of His power to usward who believe.' It 
does not say, ' to usward who fear and doubt ; ' for 
if we will not believe, neither shall we be estab- 
lished. If we will not believe what God says He 
can do, we shall see it with our eyes, but we shall 
not eat thereof. * They could not enter in because 
of unbelief. ' 

It is most comforting to remember that the grand 
promise, ' Thy people shall be willing in the day of 
Thy power,* is made by the Father to Christ Him- 
self. The Lord Jesus holds this promise, and God 
will fulfil it to Him. He will make us willing be- 
cause He has promised Jesus that He will do so. 
And what is being made willing, but having our 
will taken and kept ? 

All true surrender of the will is based upon love 
and knowledge of, and confidence in, the one to 
whom it is surrendered. We have the human 
analogy so often before our eyes, that it is the more 
strange we should be so slow to own even the possi- 
bility of it as to God. Is it thought anything so 
very extraordinary and high-flown, when a bride 
de\iheT3itely prefers wearing a colour which was not 
her own taste or choice, because her husband likes 
to see her in it ? Is it very unnatural that it is no 
distress to her to do what he asks her to do, or to go 
with him where he asks her to come, even without 
question or explanation, instead of doing what or 
going where she would undoubtedly have preferred 
if she did not know and love him ? Is it very sur- 
prising if this lasts beyond the wedding day, and if 
year after year she still finds it her greatest pleasure 



loo iRcpt tor tbe Master's IHbc* 

to please him, quite irrespective of what used to be 
her own ways and likings ? Yet in this case she is 
not helped by any promise or power on his part to 
make her wish what he wishes. But He who so 
wonderfully condescends to call Himself the Bride- 
groom of His church, and who claims our fullest 
love and trust, has promised and has power to work 
in us to will. Shall we not claim His promise and 
rely on His mighty power, and say, not self-con- 
fidently, but looking only unto Jesus — 

* Keep my will, for it is Thine; 
It shall be no longer mine ! ' 

Only in proportion as our own will is surren- 
dered, are we able to discern the splendour of 
God's will. 

For oh ! it is a splendour, 

A glow of majesty, 
A mystery of beauty 

If we will only see; 
A very cloud of glory 

Enfolding you and me. 

A splendour that is lighted 

At one transcendent flame, 
The wondrous Love, the perfect Love, 

Our Father's sweetest name ; 
For His Name and very Essence- 

And His Will are all the same ! 

Conversely, in proportion as we see this splen- 
dour of His will, we shall more readily or more 
fully surrender our own. Not until we have pre- 
sented our bodies a living sacrifice can we prove 



Om Mills ftcpt tor 5e9U6. loi 

what is that good, and perfect, and acceptable will 
of God. But in thus proving it, this continual pre- 
sentation will be more and more seen to be our 
reasonable service, and becomes more and more a 
joyful sacrifice of praise. 

The connection in Romans xii. 1,2, between our 
sacrifice which He so graciously calls acceptable to 
Himself, and our finding out that His will is ac- 
ceptable to ourselves, is very striking. One reason 
for* this connection may be that only love can 
really understand love, and love on both sides is at 
the bottom of the whole transaction and its results. 
First, He loves us. Then the discovery of this 
leads us to love Him. Then, because He loves us. 
He claims us, and desires to have us wholly yielded 
to His will, so that the operations of love in and 
for us may find no hindrance. Then, because we 
love Him we recognise His claim and yield our- 
selves. Then, being thus yielded. He draws us 
nearer to Him,* and admits us, so to speak, into 
closer intimacy, so that we gain nearer and truer 
views of His perfections. Then the unity of these 
perfections becomes clearer to us. Now we not 
only see His justice and mercy flowing in an undi- 
vided stream from the cross of Christ, but we see 
that they never were divided, though the strange 
distortions of the dark, false glass of sin made them 
appear so, but that both are but emanations of 
God's holy love. Then having known and be- 
lieved this holy love, we see further that His will 

* * Now ye Aav£ consecrated yourselves unto the I^ord, come 
near^ (2 Chron. xxix. 31). 



102 ikept tor tbe /Iftastcr's IHse. 

is not a separate thing, but only love (and therefore 
all His attributes) in action ; love being the pri- 
mary essence of His being, and all the other at- 
tributes manifestations and combinations of that 
ineffable essence, for God is Love. Then this will 
of God which has seemed in old far-off days a stern 
and fateful power, is seen to be only love energized ; 
love saying, * I will.' And when once we really 
grasp this (hardly so much by faith as by love 
itself), the will of God cannot be otherwise than 
acceptable, for it is no longer a question of trusting 
that somehow or other there is a hidden element of 
love in it, but of understanding that it is love ; no 
more to be dissociated from it than the power of the 
sun's rays can be dissociated from their light and 
warmth. And love recognised must surely be love 
accepted and reciprocated. So, as the fancied 
sternness of God's will is lost in His love, the stub- 
bornness of our will becomes melted in that love, 
and lost in our acceptance of it. 

* Take Thine own way with me, dear Lord, 

Thou canst not otherwise than bless ; 
I launch me forth upon a sea 

Of boundless love and tenderness. 

* I could not choose a larger bliss 

Than to be wholly Thine ; and mine 
A will whose highest joy is this, 
To ceaselessly unclasp in Thine. 

* I will not fear Thee, O my God ! 

The days to come can only bring 
Their perfect sequences of love, 
Thy larger, deeper comforting. 



©ur Mills ftept tor ^csns* 103 

* Within the shadow of this love, 

Loss doth transmute itself to gain ; 
Faith veils earth's sorrows in its light, 
And straightway lives above her pain. 

* We are not losers thus; we share 

The perfect gladness of the Son, 
Not conquered — for, behold, we reign ; 
Conquered and Conqueror are one. 

* Thy wonderful grand will, my God I 

Triumphantly I make it mine; 
And faith shall breathe her glad "Amen " 
To every dear command of Thine. 

* Beneath the splendour of Thy choice, 

Thy perfect choice for me, I rest; 
Outside it now I dare not live, 
Within it I must needs be blest. 

* Meanwhile my spirit anchors calm 

In grander regions still than this; 
The fair, far-shining latitudes 
Of that yet unexplored bliss. 

< Then may Thy perfect, glorious will 
Be evermore fulfilled in me, 
And make my life an answ'ring chord 
Of glad, responsive harmony. 

* Oh ! it is life indeed to live 

Within this kingdom strangely sweet, 
And yet we fear to enter in, 
And linger with unwilling feet. 

* We fear this wondrous rule of Thine, 

Because we have not reached Thy heart ; 
Not venturing our all on Thee, 

We may not know how good Thou art.' 

Jean Sophia Pigott. 



104 Iftept foe tbe /iftastec's lllse* 



CHAPTER X. 



®ur 1beart0 ftept for 3cem. 

* ^<?^ my heart ; it is Thine own ; 
It is now Thy royal throne.^ 

* T T is a good thing that the heart be established 
A with grace,' and yet some of us go on as if 
it were not a good thing even to hope for it to 
be so. 

We should be ashamed to say that we had be- 
haved treacherously to a friend ; that we had played 
him false again and again ; that we had said scores 
of times what we did not really mean ; that we had 
professed and promised what, all the while, we had 
no sort of purpose of performing. We should be 
ready to go off by next ship to New Zealand rather 
than calmly own to all this, or rather than ever 
face our friends again after we had owned it. And 
yet we are not ashamed (some of us) to say that we 
are always dealing treacherously with our Lord; 
nay, more, we own it with an inexplicable com- 
placency, as if there were a kind of virtue in say- 
ing how fickle and faithless and desperately wicked 
our hearts are ; and we actually plume ourselves on 
the easy confession, which we think proves our 



®ur Ibearts ftept tor S^esus. 105 

humility, and which does not lower us in the eyes 
of others, nor in our own eyes, half so much "as if 
we had to say, 'I have told a story,' or, *I have 
broken my promise.' Nay, more, we have not the 
slightest hope, and therefore not the smallest in- 
tention of aiming at an utterly different state of 
things. Well for us if we do not go a step farther, 
and call those by hard and false names who do 
seek io have an established heart, and who believe 
that as the Lord meant what He said when He 
promised, ^ JVo good thing will He withhold from 
them that walk uprightly,' so He will not withhold 
f/ii's good thing. 

Prayer must be based upon promise, but, thank 
God, His promises are always broader than our 
prayers. No fear of building inverted pyramids 
here, for Jesus Christ is the foundation, and this 
and all the other ' promises of God in Him are- 
yea, and in Him amen, unto the glory of God 
by us.' So it shall be unto His glory to fulfil 
this one to us, and to answer our prayer for a 
' kept ' or ' established ' heart. And its fulfilment 
shall work out His glory, not in spite of us, but; 
* dy us. ' 

We find both the means and the result of the 
keeping in the 112th Psalm : * His heart is fixed.' 
Whose heart ? An angel ? A saint in glory ? 
No ! Simply the heart of the man that feareth the 
Lord, and delighteth greatly in His command- 
ments. Therefore yours and mine, as God would 
have them be ; just the normal idea of a God-fear- 
ing heart, nothing extremely and hopelessly beyond 
attainment. 



io6 iftept for tbe Master's lasc. 

' Fixed. ' How does that tally with the deceit- 
fulness and waywardness and fickleness about which 
we really talk as if we were rather proud of them 
than utterly ashamed of them ? 

Does our heavenly Bridegroom expect nothing 
more of us? Does His mighty, all-constraining 
love intend to do no more for us than to leave us 
in this deplorable state, when He is undoubtedly 
able to heal the desperately wicked heart (compare 
verses 9 and 14 of Jeremiah xvii.), to rule the way- 
ward one with His peace, and to establish the fickle 
one with His grace ? Are we not ' without ex- 
cuse ' ? 

' Fixed, trusting in the Lord. ' Here is the 
means of the fixing — trust. He works the trust in 
us by sending the Holy Spirit to reveal God in 
Christ to us as absolutely, infinitely worthy of our 
trust. When we ' see Jesus ' by Spirit- wrought 
faith, we cannot but trust Him; we distrust our 
hearts more truly than ever before, but we trust our 
Lord entirely, because we trust Him only. For, 
entrusting our trust to Him, we know that He is 
able to keep that which we commit (/. e. entrust) 
to Him. It is His own way of winning and fixing 
our hearts for Himself, Is it not a beautiful one ? 
Thus ' his heart is established.' But we have not 
quite faith enough to believe that. So what is the 
very first doubting, and therefore sad thought that 
crops up ? ' Yes, but I am afraid it will not remain 
fixed.' 

That is your thought. Now see what is God's 
thought about the case. * His heart is established, 
he shall not be afraid.' 



®ur Ibearts ftept for Jesug. 107 

Is not that enough ? What is, if such plain and 
yet divine words are not? Well, the Gracious 
One bears with us, and gives line upon line to His 
poor little children. And so He says, ' The peace 
of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep 
your hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus.' And 
again, * Thy thoughts shall be established.' And 
again, * Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose 
mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in 
Thee.' 

And to prove to us that these promises can be 
realized in present experience. He sends down to 
us through nearly 3000 years the words of the man 
who prayed, * Create in me a clean heart, O God,' 
and lets us hear twice over the new song put by the 
same Holy Spirit into his mouth : * My heart is 
fixed, O God, my heart is fixed' (Ps. Ivii. 7, 
cviii. i). 

The heart that is established in Christ is also es- 
tablished for Christ. It becomes His royal throne, 
no longer occupied by His foe, no longer tottering 
and unstable. And then we see the beauty and 
preciousness of the promise, * He shall be a Priest 
upon His throne.' Not only reigning, but aton- 
ing. Not only ruling, but cleansing. Thus the 
throne is established * in mercy,' but ^ by righteous- 
ness.' 

I think we lose ground sometimes by parleying 
with the tempter. We have no business to parley 
with an usurper. The throne is no longer his 
when we have surrendered it to our Lord Jesus. 
And why should we allow him to argue with us for 
one instant, as if it were still an open question ? 



io8 



IRept for tbe Master's tlsc. 



Don't listen; simply tell him that Jesus Christ /> 
on the long-disputed throne, and no more about it, 
but turn at once to your King and claim the glori- 
ous protection of His sovereignty over you. It is 
a splendid reality, and you will find it so. He will 
not abdicate and leave you kingless and defence- 
less. For verily, ' The Lord ts our King ; He will 
save us ' (Isa. xxxiii. 22). 



Our hearts 


are naturally — 


God can 


make them — 


Evil, . . 


Heb. iii. \2. 


Clean, . . 


Ps. li. 10. 


Desperately 








wicked, . 


Jer. xvii. 9. 


Good, . . 


Luke viii. 15.^ 


Weak, . . 


Ezek. xvi. 30. 


Fixed, . . 


Ps. cxii. 7. 


Deceitful, . 


Jer. xvii. 9. 


Faithful, . 


Neh. ix. 8. 


Deceived, . 


Isa. xliv. 20. 


Understand- 








ing, . . 


I Kings iii. 9. 


Double, 


Ps. xii. 2. 


Honest, 


Luke viii. 15. 


Impenitent, 


Rom. ii. 5. 


Contrite, . 


Ps. li. 17. 


Rebellious, 


Jer. v. 23. 


True, . . 


Heb. X. 22. 


Hard, . . 


Ezek. iii. 7. 


Soft, . . 


Job xxiii. 16. 


Stony, . . 


Ezek. xi. 19. 


New, . . 


Ezek. xviii. 31 


Fro ward, . 


Prov. xvii. 20. 


Sound, . . 


Ps. cxix. 80. 


Despiteful, . 


Ezek. XXV. 15. 


Glad, . . 


Ps. xvi. 9. 


Stout, . . 


Isa. x. 12. 


Established, 


, Ps. cxii. 8. 


Haughty, . 


Prov. xviii. 12. 


Tender, 


Ephes. iv. 32. 


Proud, . . 


Prov. xxi. 4. 


Pure, . . 


Matt. V. 8. 


Perverse, . 


Prov. xii. 8. 


Perfect, 


I Chron. xxix. 9 


Foolish, 


Rom. i. 21. 


Wise, . . 


Prov. xi. 29. 



®ur %ovc ftept for 5e6U5. lo^ 



CHAPTER XI. 



®ur Xove fiept for 3e6U6* 

* Jutep my love ; my Lord, I pour 
At Thy feet its treasure-store * 

NOT as a mere echo from the morning-gilded 
shore of Tiberias, but as an ever new, ever 
sounding note of divinest power, come the famil- 
iar words to each of us, ' Lovest thou Me ? ' He 
says it who has loved us with an everlasting love. 
He says it who has died for us. He says it who 
has washed us from our sins in His own blood. He 
says it who has waited for our love, waited pa- 
tiently all through our coldness. 

And if by His grace we have said, * Take my 
love,' which of us has not felt that part of His very 
answer has been to make us see how little there was 
to take, and how little of that little has been kept 
for Him ? And yet we do love Him ! He knows 
that ! The very mourning and longing to love 
Him more proves it. But we want more than that, 
and so does our Lord. 

He has created us to love. We have a sealed 
treasure of love, which either remains sealed, and 
then gradually dries up and wastes away, or is un- 



no iRept for tbe Master's Tllse* 

sealed and poured out, and yet is the fuller and not 
the emptier for the outpouring. The more love we 
give, the more we have to give. So far it is only 
natural. But when the Holy Spirit reveals the love 
of Christ, and sheds abroad the love of God in our 
hearts, this natural love is penetrated with a new 
principle as it discovers a new Object. Everything 
that it beholds in that Object gives it new depth 
and new colours. As it sees the holiness, the 
beauty, and the glory, it takes the deep hues of 
conscious sinfulness, unworthiness, and nothing- 
ness. As it sees even a glimpse of the love that 
passeth knowledge, it takes the glow of wonder and 
gratitude. And when it sees that love drawing 
close to its deepest need with blood -purchased par- 
don, it is intensified and stirred, and there is no 
more time for weighing and measuring ; we must 
pour it out, all there is of it, with our tears, at the 
feet that were pierced for love of us. 

And what then ? Has the flow grown gradually 
slower and shallower? Has our Lord reason to 
say, ' My brethren have dealt deceitfully as a brook, 
and as a stream of brooks they pass away ' ? It is 
humiliating to have found that we could not keep 
on loving Him, as we loved in that remembered 
hour when * Thy time was the time of love. ' We 
have proved that we were not able. Let this be 
only the stepping-stone to proving that He is able ! 

There will have been a cause, as we shall see if 
we seek it honestly. It was not that we really 
poured out all our treasure, and so it naturally 
came to an end. We let it be secretly diverted into 
other channels. We began keeping back a little 



©ur %ovc iiept for 5e6us, m 

part of the price for something else. We looked 
away from, instead of looking away unto Jesus. 
We did not entrust Him with our love, and ask 
Him to keep it for Himself. 

And what has He to say to us? Ah, He up- 
braideth not. Listen ! ' Thus saith the Lord, I 
remember thee, the kindness of thy youth, the love 
of thine espousals. ' Can any words be more ten- 
der, more touching, to you, to me? Forgetting 
all the sin, all the backsliding, all the coldness, 
casting all that into the unreturning depths of the 
sea, He says He remembers that hour when we first 
said, *Take my love.' He remembers it now, at 
this minute. He has written it for ever on His in- 
finite memory, where the past is as the present. 

His own love is unchangeable, so it could never 
be His wish or will that we should thus drift away 
from Him. Oh, ' Come and let us return unto the 
Lord ! ' But is there any hope that, thus returning, 
our flickering love may be kept from again failing ? 
Hear what He says : 'And I will betroth thee unto 
Me for ever ' And again : ' Thou s/iaU abide /or 
Me many days; so will I also be for thee.' Shall 
we trust His word or not ? Is it worthy of our ac- 
ceptation or not ? Oh, rest on this word of the 
King, and let Him from this day have the keeping 
of your love, and He will keep it ! 

The love of Christ is not an absorbing, but a ra- 
diating love. The more we love Him, the more 
we shall most certainly love others. Some have not 
much natural power of loving, but the love of Christ 
will strengthen it. Some have had the springs of 



312 ikept tor tbe Master's TUbc* 

love dried up by some terrible earthquake. They 
will find ' fresh springs ' in Jesus, and the gentle 
•flow will be purer and deeper than the old torrent 
could ever be. Some have been satisfied that it 
should rush in a narrow channel, but He will cause 
it to overflow into many another, and widen its 
course of blessing. Some have spent it all on their 
God-given dear ones. Now He is come whose 
right it is ; and yet in the fullest resumption of 
that right, He is so gracious that He puts back an 
€ven larger measure of the old love into our hand, 
sanctified with His own love, and energized with 
His blessing, and strengthened with His new com- 
mandment, * That ye love one another, as I have 
loved you.' 

In that always very interesting part, called a 
* Corner for Difficulties,' of that always very inter- 
esting magazine, Woman^s Work, the question has 
been discussed, * When does love become idolatry? 
Is it the experience of Christians that the coming 
in of a new object of affection interferes with entire 
consecration to God ? ' I should like to quote the 
many excellent answers in full, but must only refer 
my readers to the number for March 1879. ^^^ 
replies : ' It seems to me that He who is love 
would not give us an object for our love unless He 
saw that our hearts needed expansion ; and if the 
love is consecrated, and the friendship takes its 
stand in Christ, there is no need for the fear that it 
will become idolatry. Let the love on both sides 
de given to God to keep, and however much it may 
grow, the source from which it springs must yet be 
greater.' Perhaps I may be pardoned for giving^ 



©ur %ove ftept for Jesus, 113 

at the same writer's suggestion, a quotation from 
Under the Surface on this subject. Eleanor says to 
Beatrice; — 

* I tremble when I think 
How much I love him ; but I turn away 
From thinking of it, just to love him more; — 
Indeed, I fear, too much.' 

* Dear Eleanor, 
Do you love him as much as Christ loves us ? 
Let your lips answer me.' 

* Why ask me, dear ? 
Our hearts are finite^ Christ is infinite.' 

* Then, till you reach the standard of that love, 
Let neither fears nor well-meant warning voice 
Distress you with " too much." For He hath said 
How much — and who shall dare to change His measure? 
'" That ye should love AS I have loved you." 

O sweet command, that goes so far beyond 

The mightiest impulse of the tenderest heart ! 

A bare permission had been much ; but He 

"Who knows our yearnings and our fearfulness, 

Chose graciously to bid us do the thing 

That makes our earthly happiness, 

A limit that we need not fear to pass. 

Because we cannot. Oh, the breadth and length. 

And depth and height of love that passeth knowledge ! 

Yet Jesus said, "As I have loved you." ' 

' O Beatrice, I long to feel the sunshine 
That this should bring ; but there are other words 
"Which fall in chill eclipse. 'Tis written, " Keep 
Yourselves from idols." How shall I obey ? ' 

* Oh, not by loving less, but loving more. 
It is not that we love our precious ones 
Too much, but God too little. As the lamp 
A miner bears upon his shadowed brow 

Is only dazzling in the grimy dark, 

And has no glare against the summer sky, 



114 If^ept tor tbe /iRastcr's tlsc* 

So, set the tiny torch of our best love 

In the great sunshine of the love of God, 

And, though full fed and fanned, it casts no shade 

And dazzles not, o'erflowed with mightier light.* 

There is no love so deep and wide as that which 
is kept for Jesus. It flows both fuller and farther 
when it flows only through Him. Then, too, it 
will be a power for Him. It will always be uncon- 
sciously working for Him. In drawing others to 
ourselves by it, we shall be necessarily drawing them 
nearer to the fountain of our love, never drawing 
them away from it. It is the great magnet of His love 
which alone can draw any heart to Him ; but when 
our own are thoroughly yielded to its mighty in- 
fluence, they will be so magnetized that He will 
condescend to use them in this way. 

Is it not wonderful to think that the Lord Jesus 
will not only accept and keep, but actually use 
our love? 

* Of Thine own have we given Thee,' for * we love 
Him because He first loved us.' 

Set apart to love Him, 

And His love to know ; 
Not to waste affection 
On a passing show ; 
Called to give Him life and heart, 

Called to pour the hidden treasure, 
That none other claims to measure, 
Into His beloved hand ! thrice blessed * set apart ' ! 



I 



©ur Selves ftept tor 5e6U0. X15 



CHAPTER Xli. 



®ur Sel\>e0 ftept for 3cBx\e. 

* JiTeep my self, that I may be 
Every only, all for Thee? 

'T^OR Thee ! ' That is the beginning and the 
A^ end of the whole matter of consecration. 
There was a prelude to its * endless song,' — a pre- 
lude whose theme is woven into every following 
harmony in the new anthem of consecrated life : 
* The Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself 
for me.'' Out of the realized * for me,' grows the 
practical * for Thee !' If the former is a living root, 
the latter will be its living fruit. 

' For 7'hee/ ' This makes the difference between 
forced or formal, and therefore unreasonable ser- 
vice, and the * reasonable service ' which is the be- 
ginning of the perfect service where they see His 
face. This makes the difference between slave work 
and free work. For Thee, my Redeemer ; for Thee 
who hast spoken to my heart ; for Thee, who hast 
done for me — what? Let us each pause, and fill 
up that blank with the great things the Lord hath 
done for us. For Thee, who art to me — what? 



ii6 iRept for tbe /iBaster's luge. 

Fill that up too, before Him ! For Thee, my 
Saviour Jesus, my Lord and my God ! 

And what is to be for Him ? My self. We talk 
sometimes as if, whatever else could be subdued 
unto Him, self could never be. Did St. Paul for- 
get to mention this important exception to the *all 
things' in Phil. iii. 21? David said: * Bless the 
Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me^ bless 
His Holy Name.' Did he, too, unaccountably for- 
get to mention that he only meant all that was 
within him, except self? If not, then self must be 
among the ' all things ' which the Lord Jesus Christ 
is able to subdue unto Himself, and which are to 
* bless His Holy Name.' It is Self which, once His 
most treacherous foe, is now, by full and glad sur- 
render. His own soldier — coming over from the 
rebel camp into the royal army. It is not some 
one else, some temporarily possessing spirit, which 
says within us, ' Lord, Thou knowest that I love 
Thee,' but our true and very self, only changed 
and renewed by the power of the Holy Ghost. 
And when we do that we would not, we know that 
' it is no more / that do it, but sin that dwelleth 
in me.' Our true self is the new self, taken and 
won by the love of God, and kept by the power 
of God. 

Yes, ^kept / ' There is the promise on which we 
ground our prayer; or, rather, one of the promises. 
For, search and look for your own strengthening 
and comfort, and you will find it repeated in every 
part of the Bible, from * I am with thee, and will 
keep thee,' in Genesis, to *I also will keep thee 
from the hour of temptation,' in Revelation. 



©ur Selves ftept tor SFesus, "7 

And kept for Him ! Why should it be thought a 
thing incredible with you, when it is only the ful- 
filling of His own eternal purpose in creating us ? 
'■ This people have I formed for Myself. ' Not ulti- 
mately only, but presently and continually ; for He 
says, 'Thou shalt abide y^r J/^ / ' and, 'He that 
remaineth, even he shall be for our God.^ Are you 
one of His people by faith in Jesus Christ? Then 
see what you are to Him. You, personally and in- 
dividually, are part of the Lord's portion (Deut. 
xxxii. 9) and of His inheritance (i Kings viii. 53, 
and Eph. i. 18). His portion and inheritance 
would not be complete without you ; you are His 
peculiar treasure (Ex. xix. 5); 'a special people' 
(how warm, and loving, and natural that expression 
is !) ' unto Himself^ (Deut. vii. 6). Would you 
call it ' keeping,' if you had a * special ' treasure, a 
darling little child, for instance, and let it run wild 
into all sorts of dangers all day long, sometimes at 
your side, and sometimes out in the street, with 
only the intention of fetching it safe home at night ? 
If ye then, being evil, would know better, and do 
better, than that, how much more shall our Lord's 
keeping be true, and tender, and continual, and 
effectual, when He declares us to be His peculiar 
treasure, purchased (See i Pet. ii. 9, margin) for 
Himself at such unknown cost ! 

He will keep what thus He sought, 
Safely guard the dearly bought ; 
Cherish that which He did choose, 
Always love and never lose. 

I know what some of us are thinking. ' Yes j I 



ii8 iRept tor tbc /iRaster's 'dse* 

see it all plainly enough in theon/, but in practice I 
find I am not kept. Self goes over to the other 
camp again and again. It is not all for Jesus, 
though I have asked and wished for it to be so.' 
Dear friends, the 'all ' must be sealed with * only.' 
Are you willing to be ' only ' for Jesus ? You have 
not given ' all ' to Jesus while you are not quite 
ready to be ' only ' for Him. And it is no use to 
talk about ' ever ' while we have not settled the 
' only ' and the ' all.' You cannot be ' for Him,' in 
the full and blessed sense, while you are partly ' for ' 
anything or any one else. For ' the Lord hath set 
apart him that is godly for Himself.' You see, the 
' for Himself ' hinges upon the 'set apart.' There 
is no consecration without separation. If you are 
mourning over want of realized consecration, will 
you look humbly and sincerely into this point ? 
*A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse,' saith 
the Heavenly Bridegroom. 

Set apart for Jesus ! 

Is not this enough, 
Though the desert prospect 
Open wild and rough ? 
Set apart for His delight, 

Chosen for His holy pleasure, 
Sealed to be His special treasure ! 
Could we choose a nobler joy ? — and would we, if we 
might ? * 

But yielding, by His grace, to this blessed setting 
apart for Himself, * The Lord shall establish thee an 
holy people unto Himself, as He hath sworn unto 
thee.' Can there be a stronger promise? Just 

* Loyal Responses ^ p. Ii. 



®ur Selves ftept foe 5e0U0. 119 

obey and trust His word now, and yield yourselves 
now unto God, ' that He may establish thee to-day 
for a people unto Himself. ' Commit the keeping 
of your souls to Him in well-doing, as unto a faith- 
ful Creator, being persuaded that He is able to 
KEEP that which you commit to Him. 

Now, Lord, I give myself to Thee, 

I would be wholly Thine, 
* As Thou hast given Thyself to me, 

And Thou art wholly mine ; 
O take me, seal me for Thine own. 
Thine altogether, Thine alone. 

Here comes in once more that immeasurably im- 
portant subject of our influence. For it is not what 
we say or do, so much as what we are, that influ- 
ences others. We have heard this, and very likely 
repeated it again and again, but have we seen it to 
be inevitably linked with the great question of this 
chapter? I do not know anything which, thought- 
fully considered, makes us realize more vividly the 
need and the importance of our whole selves being 
kept for Jesus. Any part not wholly committed, 
and not wholly kept, must hinder and neutralize 
the real influence for Him of all the rest. If we 
ourselves are kept all for Jesus, then our influence 
will be all kept for Him too. If not, then, how- 
ever much we may wish and talk and try, we can- 
not throw our full weight into the right scale. And 
just in so far as it is not in the one scale, it must be 
in the other ; weighing against the little which we 
have tried to put in the right one, and making the 
short weight still shorter. 



I20 ikept tor tbc Master's lUse* 

So large a proportion of it is entirely involun- 
tary, while yet the responsibility of it is so enor- 
mous, that our helplessness comes out in exception- 
ally strong relief, while our past debt in this matter 
is simply incalculable. Are we feeling this a little? 
getting just a glimpse, down the misty defiles of 
memory, of the neutral influence, the wasted influ- 
ence, the mistaken influence, the actually wrong 
influence which has marked the ineffaceable al- 
though untraceable course ? And all the while we 
owed Him all that influence ! It ought to have 
been all for Him ! We have nothing to say. But 
what has our Lord to say ? ' I forgave thee all that 
debt ! ' 

Then, after that forgiveness which must come 
first, there comes a thought of great comfort in our 
freshly felt helplessness, rising out of the very thing 
that makes us realize this helplessness. Just because 
our influence is to such a great extent involuntary 
and unconscious, we may rest assured that if we 
ourselves are truly kept for Jesus, this will be, as a 
quite natural result, kept for Him also. It cannot 
be otherwise, for as is the fountain, so will be the 
flow \ as the spring, so the action ; as the impulse, 
so the communicated motion. Thus there may 
be, and in simple trust there will be, a quiet rest 
about it, a relief from all sense of strain and effort, 
a fulfilling of the words, ' For he that is entered 
into his rest, he also . hath ceased from his own 
works, as God did from His.' It will not be a 
matter of trying to have good influence, but just of 
having it, as naturally and constantly as the mag- 
netized bar. 



®ur Selves ftept tor 5e6us. 121 

Another encouraging thought should follow. Of 
ourselves we may have but little weight, no particu- 
lar talents or position or anything else to put into 
the scale ; but let us remember that again and again 
God has shown that the influence of a very average 
life, when once really consecrated to Him, may out- 
weigh that of almost any number of merely profess- 
ing Christians. Such lives are like Gideon's three 
hundred, carrying not even the ordinary weapons 
of war, but only trumpets and lamps and empty 
pitchers, by whom the Lord wrought great deliver- 
ance, while He i^id not use the others at all. For 
He hath chosen the weak things of the world to 
confound the things which are mighty. 

Should not all this be additional motive for desiring 
that our whole selves should be taken and kept ? 

I know that whatsoever God doeth, it shall be 
for ever. Therefore we may rejoicingly say ' ever ' 
as well as ' only ' and ' all for Thee ! ' For the Lord 
is our Keeper, and He is the Almighty and the 
Everlasting God, with whom is no variableness, 
neither shadow of turning. He will never change 
His mind about keeping us, and no man is able to 
pluck us out of His hand. Neither will Christ let 
us pluck ourselves out of His hand, for He says, 
* Thou shalt abide for Me many days. ' And He 
that keepeth us will not slumber. Once having 
undertaken His vineyard. He will keep it night and 
day, till all the days and nights are over, and we 
know the full meaning of the salvation ready to be 
revealed in the last time, unto which we are kept 
by His power. 



122 iftept tor tbe ilRaeter's lllsc. 

And then, for ever for Him ! passing from the 
gracious keeping by faith for this little while, to 
the glorious keeping in His presence for all eter- 
nity ! For ever fulfilling the object for which He 
formed us and chose us, we showing forth His 
praise, and He showing the exceeding riches of 
His grace in His kindness towards us in the ages 
to come ! He for us, and we for Him for ever / 
Oh, how little we can grasp this ! Yet this is the 
fruition of being * kept for Jesus ! ' 

Set apart for ever 

For Himself alone ! 
Now we see our calling 
Gloriously shown. 
Owning, with no secret dread, 
This our holy separation, 
Now the crown of consecration * 
Of the Lord our God shall rest upon our willing head. 



CHAPTER XIII. 



Cbrist for ins. 

* So will I also be for Thee.^ — Hos. iii. 3.* 

THE typical promise, ' Thou shalt abide for Me 
many days,' is indeed a marvel of love. For 
it is given to the most undeserving, described under 
the strongest possible figure of utter worthlessness 

* Num. vi. 7. 



Cbrfst tor Tils. 123 

and treacherousness, — the woman beloved, yet an 
adulteress. 

The depth of Jthe abyss shows the length of 
the line that has fathomed it, yet only the length of 
the line reveals the real depth of the abyss. The 
sin shows the love, and the love reveals the sin. 
The Bible has few words more touching, though sel- 
dom quoted, than those just preceding this wonderful 
promise : * The love of the Lord toward the chil- 
dren of Israel, who look to other gods, and love 
flagons of wine.' Put that into the personal appli- 
cation which no doubt underlies it, and say, * The 
love of the Lord toward me^ who have looked away 
from Him, with wandering, faithless eyes, to other 
helps and hopes, and have loved earthly joys and 
sought earthly gratifications, — the love of the Lord 
toward even me !' And then hear Him saying in 
the next verse, * So I bought her to Me ; ' stooping 
to do that in His unspeakable condescension of 
love, not with the typical silver and barley, but 
with the precious blood of Christ. Then, having 
thus loved us, and rescued us, and bought us with 
a price indeed, He says, still under the same figure, 
* Thou shalt abide for Me many days. ' 

This is both a command and a pledge. But the 
very pledge implies our past unfaithfulness, and 
the proved need of even our own part being under- 
taken by the ever patient Lord. He Himself 
has to guarantee our faithfulness, because there 
is no other hope of our continuing faithful. Well 
may such love win our full and glad surrender, 
and such a promise win our happy and confident 
trust ! 



124 IRept tor tbe /llbaater'0 lllse* 

But He says more. He says, ' So will I also be 
for thee ! ' And this seems an even greater marvel 
of love, as we observe how He ijieets every detail 
of' our consecration with this wonderful word.* 

1. His Life^ior thee!' * The Good Shepherd 
giveth His life for the sheep.' Oh, wonderful gift ! 
not promised, but givefi; not to friends, but to ene- 
mies. Given without condition, without reserve, 
without return. Himself unknown and unloved. 
His gift unsought and unasked. He gave His life 
for thee ; a more than royal bounty — the greatest 
gift that Deity could devise. Oh, grandeur of love ! 
' I lay down My life for the sheep ! ' And we for 
whom He gave it have held back, and hesitated to 
give our lives, not even /or Him (He has not asked 
us to do that), but fo Him ! But that is past, and 
He has tenderly pardoned the unloving, ungrateful 
reserve, and has graciously accepted the poor little 
fleeting breath and speck of dust which was all we 
had to offer'. And now His precious death and His 
glorious life are all * for thee. ' 

2. His Eternity '■ for thee.' All we can ask Him 
to take are days and moments — the little span given 
us as it is given, and of this only the present in deed 
and the future in will. As for the past, in so far as 
we did not give it to Him, it is too late; we can 
never give it now ! But His past was given to us, 

* The remainder of this chapter is printed in a little penny 
book, entitled, / also for Thee, by F. R. H., published by 
Caswell, Birmingham, and by Nisbet & Co. 



Cbrist for III0. 125 

though ours was not given to Him. Oh, what a 
tremendous debt does this show us ! 

Away back in the dim depths of past eternity, 
'or ever the earth and the world were made,' His 
divine existence in the bosom of His Father was 
all 'for thee,' purposing and planning 'for thee,' 
receiving and holding the promise of eternal life 
'for thee.' 

Then the thirty-three years among sinners on this 
sinful earth : do we think enough of the slowly- 
wearing days and nights, the heavy-footed hours, 
the never-hastening minutes, that went to make up 
those thirty-three years of trial and humiliation ? 
We all know how slowly time passes when suffering 
and sorrow are near, and there is no reason to sup- 
pose that our Master was exempted from this part 
of our infirmities. 

Then His present is ' for thee.' Even now He 
' liveth to make intercession ; ' even now He 
' thinketh upon me ;' even now He *knoweth,' He 
' careth,' He 'loveth.' 

Then, only to think that His whole eternity will 
be ' for thee !' Millions of ages of unfoldings of all 
His love, and of ever new declarings of His Father's 
name to His brethren. Think of it ! and can we 
ever hesitate to give all our poor little hours to His 
service ? 

3. His Hands ' for thee. ' Literal hands ; liter- 
ally pierced, when the whole weight of His quiver- 
ing frame hung from their torn muscles and bared 
nerves ; literally uplifted in parting blessing. Con- 
secrated, priestly hands \ ' filled ' hands (Ex. xxviii. 



126 ikept tor tbe /nbastec's "dse* 

41, xxix. 9, etc., margin) — filled once with His 
great offering, and now with gifts and blessings * for 
thee. ' Tender hands, touching and healing, lifting 
and leading with gentlest care. Strong hands, up- 
holding and defending. Open hands, filling with 
good and satisfying desire (Ps. civ. 28, and cxlv.i6). 
Faithful hands, restraining and sustaining. * His 
left hand is under my head, and His right hand doth 
embrace me.' 

4. His Feet ' for thee.' They were weary very 
often, they were wounded and bleeding once. They 
made clear footprints as He went about doing good, 
and as He went up to Jerusalem to suffer ; and 
these * blessed steps of His most holy life,' both as 
substitution and example, were ' for thee.' Our 
place of waiting and learning, of resting and loving, 
is at His feet. And still those ' blessed feet ' are 
and shall be ' for thee, ' until He comes again to 
receive us unto Himself, until and when the word 
is fulfilled, * They shall walk with Me in white.' 

5. His Voice * for thee.' The * Voice of my be- 
loved that knocketh, saying. Open to me, my sister, 
my love ; ' the Voice that His sheep * hear ' and 
^know,' and that calls out the fervent response, 
^ Master, say on ! ' This is not all. It was the lit- 
eral voice of the Lord Jesus which uttered that one 
echoless cry of desolation on the Cross * for thee,' 
and it will be His own literal voice which will say, 
* Come, ye blessed ! ' to thee. And that same ten- 
der and * glorious Voice ' has literally sung and will 
sing * for thee. ' I think He consecrated song for 



Cbrist for Ills, 127 

us, and made it a sweet and sacred thing for ever, 
when He Himself 'sang an hymn,' the very last 
thing before He went forth to consecrate suffering 
for us. That was not His last song. ' The Lord 
thy God . . . will joy over thee with singing.' 
And the time is coming when He will not only sing 
* for thee' or 'over thee,' but with thee. He says 
He will ! * In the midst of the church will I sing 
praise unto Thee.' Now what a magnificent glimpse 
of joy this is ! * Jesus Himself leading the praises 
oT His brethren,'* and we ourselves singing not 
merely in such a chorus, but with such a leader ! 
If 'singing for Jesus' is such delight here, what 
will this ' singing with Jesus ' be ? Surely song may 
well be a holy thing to us henceforth. 

6. His Lips ' for thee. ' Perhaps there is no part 
of our consecration which it is so difficult practically 
to realize, and in which it is, therefore, so needful 
to recollect — ' I also for thee. * It is often helpful 
to read straight through one or more of the Gospels 
with a special thought on our mind, and see how 
much bears upon it. When we read one through 
with this thought — ' His lips for me ! ' — wondering, 
verse by verse, at the grace which was poured into 
them, and the gracious words which fell from them, 
wondering more and more at the cumulative force 
and infinite wealth of tenderness and power and 
wisdom and love flowing from them, we cannot but 
desire that our lips and all the fruit of them should 

* See A, Newton on the Epistle to the Hebrews, ch. ii. 
ver. 12. 



128 iRept for tbe /iRastev's lUse. 

be wholly for Him. ' For thee ' they were opened 
in blessing ; * for thee ' they were closed when He 
was led as a lamb to the slaughter. And whether 
teaching, warning, counsel, comfort, or encour- 
agement, commandments in whose keeping there is 
a great reward, or promises which exceed all we ask 
or think — all the precious fruit of His lips is * for 
thee/ really and truly meant * for thee.' 

7. His Wea/f/i ^ for ihee.^ ' Though He was rich, 
yet for our sakes He became poor, that ye through 
His poverty might be made rich.' Yes, * through 
His poverty ' the unsearchable riches of Christ are 
'for thee.' Seven -fold riches are mentioned; and 
these are no unminted treasure or sealed reserve, 
but all ready coined for our use, and stamped with 
His own image and superscription, and poured 
freely into the hand of faith. The mere list is won- 
derful. ' Riches of goodness,' 'riches of forbear- 
ance and long-suffering,' 'riches both of wisdom 
and knowledge,' 'riches of mercy,* 'exceeding 
riches of grace,' and 'riches of glory.' And His 
own Word says, 'All are yours ! ' Glance on in 
faith, and think of eternity flowing on and on be- 
yond the mightiest sweep of imagination, and real- 
ize that all ' His riches in glory ' and ' the riches of 
His glory ' are and shall be ' for thee ! ' In view of 
this, shall we care to reserve anything that rust doth 
corrupt for ourselves ? 

8. His ' treasures of wisdom and knowledge ' ' for 
thee. ' First, used for our behalf and benefit. Why 
did He expend such immeasurable might of mind 



Cbclst tor las, 129 

upon a world which is to be burnt up, but that He 
would fit it perfectly to be, not the home, but the 
school of His children ? The infinity of His skill 
is such that the most powerful intellects find a life- 
time too short to penetrate a little way into a few 
secrets of some one small department of His work- 
ing. If we turn to Providence, it is quite enough 
to take only one's own life, and look at it micro- 
scopically and telescopically, and marvel at the 
treasures of wisdom lavished upon its details, order- 
ing and shaping and fitting the tiny confused bits 
into the true mosaic which He means it to be. Many 
a little thing in our lives reveals the same Mind 
which, according to a well-known and very beauti- 
ful illustration, adjusted a perfect proportion in the 
ueiicate hinges of the snowdrop and the droop of its 
bell, with the mass of the globe and the force of 
gravitation. How kind we think it if a very tal- 
ented friend spends a little of his thought and 
power of mind in teaching us or planning for us ! 
Have we l)e?n grateful for the infinite thought and 
wisdom which our Lord has expended upon us and 
our creation, preservation, and redemption ? 

Secondly, to be shared with us. He says, ' All 
that I have is thine.' He holds nothing back, re- 
serves nothing from His dear children, and what we 
cannot receive now He is keeping for us. He 
gives us ' hidden riches of secret places ' now, but 
by and by He will give us more, and the glorified 
intellect will be filled continually out of His treas- 
ures of wisdom and knowledge. But the sanctified 
intellect will be, must be, used for Him, and only 
for Him, now ! 



I30 Ikept for tbe /iBastec's iRsc* 

9. His Will 'iox thee.' Think first of the 
infifiite might of that will ; the first great law and the 
first great force of the universe, from which alone 
every other law and every other force has sprung, 
and to which all are subordinate. ' He worketh all 
things after the counsel of His own will.' ^ He 
doeth according to His will in the army of heaven, 
and among the inhabitants of the earth.' Then 
think of the infinite mysteries of that will. For 
ages and generations the hosts of heaven have 
wonderingly watched its vouchsafed unveilings and 
its sublime developments, and still they are waiting, 
watching, and wondering. 

Creation and Providence are but the whisper of 
its power, but Redemption is its music, and praise 
is the echo which shall yet fill His temple. The 
whisper and the music, yes, and ' the thunder of 
His power,' are all 'for thee.' For what is 'the 
good pleasure of His will ' ? (Eph. i. 5.) Oh, what 
a grand list of blessings purposed, provided, pur- 
chased, and possessed, all flowing to us out of it \ 
And nothing but blessings, nothing but privileges, 
which we never should have imagined, and which, 
even when revealed, we are * slow of heart to be- 
lieve ; ' nothing but what should even nbw fill us 
' with joy unspeakable and full of glory ! ' 

Think of this will as always and altogether on our 
side — always working for us, and in us, and with 
us, if we will only let it; think of it as always and 
only synonymous with infinitely wise and almighty 
love ; think of it as undertaking all for us, from the 
great work of our eternal salvation down to the 
momentary details of guidance and supply, and do 



Cbrfst for IHg. 131 

we not feel utter shame and self-abhorrence at ever 
having hesitated for an instant to give up our tiny, 
feeble, blind will, to be — not crushed, not even 
bent, but blent with His glorious and perfect 
Will ? 

\Q. His Heart ' iox \\itQ: * Behold ... He 
is mighty . . . in heart, ' said Job (Job xxxvi. 
5, margin). And this mighty and tender heart is 
' for thee ! ' If He had only stretched forth His 
hand to save us from bare destruction, and said, 
' My hand for thee ! ' how could we have praised 
Him enough ? But what shall we say of the un- 
speakably marvellous condescension which says, 
* Thou hast ravished (margin, taken away) my 
heart, my sister, my spouse ! ' The very foun- 
tain of His divine life, and light, and love, the very 
centre of His being, is given to His beloved ones, 
who are not only 'set as a seal upon His heart,' but 
taken into His heart, so that our life is hid there, 
and we dwell there in the very centre of all safety, 
and power, and love, and glory. What will be the 
revelation of ' that day,' when the Lord Jesus prom- 
ises, ' Ye shall know that I am in My Father, and 
ye in Me ' ? For He implies that we do not yet 
know it, and that our present knowledge of this 
dwelling in Him is not knowledge at all compared 
with what He is going to show us about it. 

Now shall we, can we, reserve any corner of our 
hearts from Him? 

II. His Love 'for thee.' Not a passive, possi- 
ble love, but outflowing, yes, outpouring oi \ht real. 



132 1f?ept tor tbe /Iftaster's lllse. 

glowing, personal love of His mighty and tender 
heart. Love not as an attribute, a quality, a latent 
force, but an acting, moving, reaching, touching, 
and grasping power. Love, not a cold, beautiful, 
far-off star, but a sunshine that comes and enfolds 
us, making us warm and glad, and strong and bright 
and fruitful. 

His love ! What manner of love is it ? What 
should be quoted to prove or describe it ? First 
the whole Bible with its mysteries and marvels of 
redemption, then the whole book of Providence 
and the whole volume of creation. Then add to 
these the unknown records of eternity past and the 
unknown glories of eternity to come, and then let 
the immeasurable quotation be sung by * angels and 
archangels, and all the company of heaven,' with all 
the harps of God, and still that love will be untold, 
still it will be * the love of Christ that passeth 
knowledge. ' 

But it is ' for thee ! ' 

12. Himself ' for thee.' * Christ also hath loved 
us, and given Himself for us. ' * The Son of God 
. . . loved me, and gave Himself for me.' Yes, 
Himself! What is the Bride's true and central 
treasure ? What calls forth the deepest, brightest, 
sweetest thrill of love and praise ? Not the Bride- 
groom's priceless gifts, not the robe of His re- 
splendent righteousness, not the dowry of unsearch- 
able riches, not the magnificence of the palace 
home to which He is bringing her, not the glory 
which she shall share with Him, but Himself ! 
Jesus Christ, * who His own self bare our sins in 



Cbclst for "CIS, 133 

His own body on the tree ; * * this same Jesus, ' 
' whom having not seen, ye love ; ' the Son of God, 
and the Man of Sorrows ; my Saviour, my Friend, 
my Master, my King, my Priest, my Lord and my 
God— He says, '/also for thee ! ' What an ' I\f 
What power and sweetness we feel in it, so differ- 
ent from any human '/,' for all His Godhead and 
all His manhood are concentrated in it, and all 
' for thee ! ' 

Arid not only *all,' but ^ ever^ for thee. His 
unchangeableness is the seal upon every attribute j 
He will be '■ this same Jesus ' for ever. How can 
mortal mind estimate this enormous promise ? How 
can mortal heart conceive what is enfolded in these 
words, '■ I also for thee '? 

One glimpse of its fulness and glory, and we feel 
that henceforth it must be, shall be, and by His 
grace will be our true-hearted, whole-hearted cry — 



Take myself ^ and I will be 
Ever^ ONLY, ALL for Thee ! 



THE END. 



flnbey* 



PART II. 



KEPT FOR THE MASTER'S USE. 



1. Our Lives kept for Jesus, 

2. Our Moments kept for Jesus, 

3. Our Hands kept for Jesus, . 

4. Our Feet kept for Jesus, . . 

5. Our Voices kept for Jesus, . 

6. Our Lips kept for Jesus, . . 

7. Our Silver and Gold kept for Jesus, 

8. Our Intellects kept for Jesus, 

9. Our Wills kept for Jesus, 

10. Our Hearts kept for Jesus, 

11. Our Love kept for Jesus, 

12. Our Selves kept for Jesus, 

13. Christ for us, 



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